By Shauna Jemmott

A SOURCE close to the Commission of Inquiry (CoI) into the Georgetown Prison riot has told the Guyana Chronicle that May 9 is the new deadline for the enquiry to end.President David Granger recently called for an early end to the proceedings, which according to him have been too drawn out.

The Head of State, in this week’s edition of the Public Interest, pointed out that the ongoing Georgetown Prison riot inquiry has been “going on (for) much too long”, and asked that it be brought to an end as early as possible.

More than 25 witnesses, including prisoners, prison officers, members of the Guyana Fire Service and members of the Guyana Police Force, have testified before the Commission.

According to the rules of procedure of the CoI, published in the Extraordinary Gazette on March 8, 2016 highlighting the subsidiary legislation on the Commission of Inquiry into the disturbances and resultant deaths at the Camp Street Prison, the inquiry must consider the views of various stakeholders. Some of those stakeholders include “staff of the prisons and their unions; members of the judiciary; prisoners accommodated within the Camp Street prisons; staff of the Ministry of Public Health and the Ministry of Social Protection; and any other stakeholders the inquiry deems appropriate.”

Those left to testify will be drawn from the Ministry of Public Health, including Government Pathologist Dr Nehaul Singh; members of the judiciary, including Chancellor of the Judiciary, Justice Carl Singh; and representatives of the Ministry of Social Protection, including a Probation Officer.

With the withdrawal of the Guyana Bar Association through its President Christopher Ram, it is unsure if anyone from that body will be called to testify this week. The CoI will resume tomorrow and the last witness is expected to testify on Friday.

Retired Justice James Patterson, (Chairman), human rights activist Merle Mendonca, and former Director of Prisons Dale Erskine are the commissioners.

The CoI aims “to enquire into all the circumstances surrounding the deaths of 18 prisoners from the Camp Street Prison, Georgetown on the morning of Thursday, March 3, 2016; to report the findings and conclusions to the Minister of Public Security; and (to) make recommendations on any action that should be taken to avoid a recurrence.”

After concluding on May 9, the Commission is required to “make comprehensive recommendations to ensure the safety of the prisons; examine and make findings and recommendations to improve the physical infrastructure of the prisons; the existing security arrangements in respect of the custody, management and control of prisoners; and the appropriate treatment of prisoners in compliance with legal and other requirements (in order) to prevent a recurrence of any such disturbances”.

Initially, the Commission was given a March 28 deadline, which was extended because more time was required to hear from various witnesses and gather adequate information.

President Granger has said he is quite sure that some of the problems the Government faces can be resolved if the responsible officers implement recommendations made by the inquiry.