Attorney General lays blame for ferry tragedy at feet of Captain and others charged as "primary offenders"

What this source establishes

This is the first record in the corpus of the Attorney General personally defending the murder charges and characterising the accused. It is a serious escalation and the archive holds nothing like it. Attorney General Anil Nandlall is reported to have said that "accounts indicate the captain was under the influence of alcohol and narcotics." This is an unproven allegation by a member of the Executive about a named accused person who has not been tried, made while the matter is before the court. It is recorded here

Key claims

• This is the first record in the corpus of the Attorney General personally defending the murder charges and characterising the accused. It is a serious escalation and the archive holds nothing like it.
• [ALLEGATION] Attorney General Anil Nandlall is reported to have said that "accounts indicate the captain was under the influence of alcohol and narcotics." This is an unproven allegation by a member of the Executive about a named accused person who has not been tried, made while the matter is before the court. It is recorded here as an allegation and as a fact about what the AG said, and nothing more.
• [ALLEGATION] Nandlall is reported to identify the three charged men as "primary offenders" and "principal offenders" — those "commanding the vessel, serving as deputy, and managing cargo and passenger manifests." Again a characterisation by the AG, not a finding.
• [ALLEGATION] Nandlall is reported to have said passengers were not wearing life jackets, "something the captain should have ensured."
• Nandlall: "The very persons…who are bawling for justice…are the very ones that are now objecting and criticizing the institution of this charge."
• Nandlall: "The Opposition has ceased [seized] this moment to exploit it for their narrow political gains and there is no doubt about that", describing the National Assembly protest as "lawless and vulgar."
• "The Attorney General noted the Director of Public Prosecution has the authority to pursue murder charges based on criminal negligence assessments, with courts determining validity later."
• "He expressed confidence in the Commission of Inquiry, despite concerns about members' alleged government connections."

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