The families of Paria divers and the lone Survivor of the tragedy have condemned the extension requested by the Commission of Enquiry.
In a joint statement issued this morning they say that since February 25 th 2022, their families and lives have never been the same.
They say it has been five hundred and fifty (550) days since that horrid day which led to one of the darkest moments in their lives.
According to their statement their families struggle to deal with the murder of our loved ones, the permanent disruption of our livelihoods, the flashbacks, sleepless nights and haunting images of what happened – or may have happened – in that pipeline as a result of the sick, unprofessional and devious actions of the management of Paria Fuel Trading Company Limited.
They describe the decision of the Commission of Enquiry to request a further extension for the submission of the report as an angering, irksome, unwelcome, insulting and unjust development.
They maintain that the Commissioners, staff and other involved agencies would have been well aware of their initial deadline of August 31, and should have been working in such fashion to ensure the meeting of this deadline.
This report was initially due in May, but the CoE was granted an extension until August 30, 2023. However, in a letter to President Christine Kangaloo yesterday, CoE Chairman Jerome Lynch, King’s Counsel (KC) sought a further three months to get their affairs in order. The newly requested deadline is November 30.