D.F.C. hearings postponed by legal wrangling
Public hearings of the Commission of Inquiry investigating the affairs of the Development Finance Corporation have been postponed until next week due to legal concerns. According to Co-Chair Merlene Bailey Martinez, the commission has decided to delay proceedings to give witnesses the right to review the relevant material before the questioning resumes.
Merlene Bailey Martinez, Co-Chair, D.F.C. Commission of Inquiry
“While counsel on the witness side had basically said we will go ahead, we still have some concerns about disclosure that we need to address. So it is with that in mind and also bearing in mind the schedule of BIM, we had to reschedule for next week Wednesday, which is the fourteenth and the next week’s Tuesday which is the twentieth, and we are hoping that those days are cast in stone, and that we would have resolved all the concerns by then.”
Janelle Chanona
“Knowing you have a certain mandate to try to wrap this up as quickly as possible, are you being careful regarding this disclosure issue knowing that your report is going to be scrutinized, I’m sure legally, quite closely?”
Merlene Bailey Martinez
“Well, absolutely, that is the concern. We need to make sure we address it in the proper way and we do have the time constraints, but I think we are more concerned about insuring that what is done is done properly. So that is what we are working on right now, trying to balance both the time constraints and proper procedure.”
Janelle Chanona
“Do you think this has become more of an issue knowing who is taking the stand, the higher level executives and so forth, or has this always been a concern?”
Merlene Bailey Martinez
“I would hate to comment on that. I cannot speak for the witnesses that came up, whether they had some concerns. But it is in light, most directly in light, of the auditor’s report which came out with some specific findings, specific observations, specific recommendations, so because we now have a concrete report emanating out of the whole procedure, we have to address that matter.”
Witnesses expected to appear before the close of the hearings include businessman David Novelo, former D.F.C. C.E.O. Troy Gabb, former D.F.C. Chairman Glenn Godfrey, and Minister Ralph Fonseca.
