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Rodney was probably reckless with his life – Crime Chief tells COI
Crime Chief Leslie James testifies at the Rodney COI
Crime Chief Leslie James believes that Former Leader of the Working People’s Alliance (WPA) Walter Rodney may have been reckless with his life.
That being said, the Former Intelligence Officer yesterday told the Commission of Inquiry (COI) underway in relation to his death, that he could not definitively say who is at fault for the incident.
James went on to tell the Commissioners that from looking at the special files regarding Rodney’s death, he could say that the WPA had anything to do with the explosion but when investigating matters of this nature, one must do it with an open mind.
James further told the Commission that based on the Frank Skuse report on Rodney’s death, he could summarize that the late leader did not know he had an explosive.
On Wednesday the commission had adjourned to facilitate the Crime Chief properly perusing the files. On that occasion, James had refrained from commenting on the three theories being explored by the Commission’s Chairman, Sir Richard Cheltenham.
As the Crime Chief took the stand again yesterday, there were arguments as to whether the three theories were sufficient for a thorough investigation.
Sir Richard had pronounced that a full inquiry should explore the probability that Rodney may have been assassinated by his party, the target of the State, or a victim of his own negligence.
Attorney-at-Law, Basil Williams, who represents the interest of the People’s National Congress (PNC), said that there was evidence to show that the WPA had begun to encroach on People’s Progressive Party (PPP) supporters and that could be viewed as another “possible” reason for Rodney’s death.
Williams insisted that a thorough investigation would consider that the PPP could have been involved in his ‘bomb-in-walkie-talkie death.’
During cross examination, the attorney referred the Crime Chief to several documents of PPP meetings and asked whether there was enough to show that the PPP may have also felt “threatened” by Rodney’s activities.
He grilled James on whether the contents confirmed collaboration with the PPP, WPA and other forces to overthrow the ruling PNC Government at the time.
Referring to a PPP meeting on April 10, 1980, Williams asked James whether he believed a warning was issued by the then leading opposition to its supporters, out of fear that the WPA had begun encroaching on their members.
Williams tried to introduce another concept and continued questioning whether the evidence indicated PPP’s involvement in Rodney’s death. He opined that investigations could not be limited to “three theories.” He asked the Crime Chief’s opinion on whether a thorough investigation would have been “unlimited” and therefore would have included the PPP as a “suspect.”
This was however, objected to by the Chairman who reminded the attorney that the Commission was not dealing with what was “possible” but rather what was probable. He said that the three theories were established after examining the evidence submitted.
Williams, however, insisted that he has a right in the COI to show that there were other persons who could have been responsible for Rodney’s death. After lively discussions, the COI adjourned to resume on August 25. That session is set to conclude on August 29.
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