Appeals Court Upholds Damages for Patt and Barrow in Commission of Inquiry Cases

The Court of Appeal has dismissed two high-profile appeals brought by the Attorney General, affirming compensation awards to former Deputy Prime Minister Hugo Patt and former Prime Minister Dean Barrow. Both men had challenged the findings of a Commission of Inquiry into the sale of government assets, arguing that their constitutional rights were violated during the process. In the case of Hugo Patt, the court upheld a Supreme Court ruling that awarded him ninety-five thousand dollars in compensatory damages and fifty thousand dollars in vindicatory damages. The court found that Patt’s right to be heard was breached when the commission failed to issue a Salmon letter or give him a chance to respond to damaging allegations. Similarly, Dean Barrow was awarded a hundred and twenty-five thousand dollars in compensatory damages and sixty thousand dollars in vindicatory damages. The court agreed that Barrow’s rights to natural justice and equal protection under the law were violated. While the trial judge had initially quashed only parts of the Commission of Inquiry report, the Court of Appeal expanded that order, ruling that nearly all references to Barrow must be removed due to the severity of the rights violations. The court also addressed concerns of bias raised by Barrow, particularly regarding the conduct and affiliations of the commissioners. While it found no definitive proof of bias, it acknowledged the importance of public confidence in the fairness of such inquiries. Both appeals were dismissed, and the Attorney General was ordered to pay costs.