Catherine Balkissoon, Paria’s acting technical lead, broke down in tears when she was asked by the chairman of the Commission if the decision to save the lives of the four LMCS divers would have been different if members of her family were trapped inside.
• Immediately after Chairman Jerome Lynch asked Balkissoon the question which brought her some discomfort, the lead attorney for Paria, Gilbert Peterson, objected saying such a question was unfair to the witness.
• Peterson maintained that while Kazim Ali Snr was giving his evidence, the attorneys maintained a level of restraint adding that such should also be afforded to Parica’s witness.
• In response, Chairman Lynch maintained that his line of question was appropriate since it would shed light on all the factors involved in the decisions that were made to disallow persons to enter the pipeline to save the men.
