Senate’s Special Select Committee’s First Meeting Set for August 15

The Senate’s Special Select Committee that will investigate the government and Portico’s Definitive Agreement will hold its first meeting on August fifteenth. At the last Sitting of the Senate on July tenth, Senator Janelle Chanona from the non-government organizations led the charge in presenting the motion for the appointment of the Special Select Committee to investigate the documents, communications, and processes tied to the signing of the Definitive Agreement. Under the terms of reference that the committee has provided, anyone that presents witness statements and information will have an opportunity to review the committee’s report within fourteen days of receiving that document, in order to give them a chance to indicate whether the information given differs from the contents of the report. The government has chosen its representatives on that committee and so has the Opposition. Senators Isabel Bennett and Bevington Cal will sit on the committee for the P.U.P., while Senator Beverly Williams will represent the Opposition. The other committee members will be Senator Alvin Moses Benguche for the Council of Churches, Senator Kevin Herrera from the business sector, Senator Elena Smith from the unions, and Senator Janelle Chanona from the non-government organizations. The committee is expected to discuss selecting a chair from among themselves at that first meeting on August fifteenth. If not, the President of the Senate will convene another meeting for the election of a chair of the committee. The terms of reference will guide the committee on how they proceed, including how many of them can constitute a quorum, and who are the persons it will call to give information during the inquiry.