Town Clerk, Royston King turned up at the Commission of Inquiry this morning but is still to take a the stand after his Attorney objected to the legality and the validity of the Commission of Inquiry into the operations and management of the Georgetown City Council.

Over the past few weeks, a number of serious allegations have been made against the Town Clerk by different witnesses during the public hearing.

This morning, King’s lawyer, Maxwell Edwards, said in his opinion, the Commission of Inquiry which was set up by the Local Government Commission is not a valid one.

Mr. Edwards said it is the Minister of Communities who could have set up the Commission of Inquiry to investigate the Georgetown City Council, and not the Local Government Commission.

He said the laws do not permit the Local Government Commission to set up a Commission of Inquiry, but rather for it to investigate complaints on its own.

Edwards added that under the law, the Local Government Commission could only delegate responsibility for a probe to a local government authority. “

“Are you a Local Government Authority? The answer is no Sir”, the lawyer told the Commission Chairman.

Earlier, the Attorney also raised an issue about the fairness of the Commission on behalf of the Town Clerk. He said based on the Commission’s treatment of the Mayor on Friday, he does not believe the Town Clerk would be accorded a fair hearing.

Last Friday, Mayor Patricia Chase-Green, was chastised by the Commission’s Chairman, retired Chancellor Justice Cecil Kennard, when she responded to a question from the Commission’s Attorney by asking a question of her own. The Commission’s Chairman told her she was being rude and that she should shut up and listen.

Later this afternoon, the Commission’s Attorneys are expected to respond to the arguments raised by the Town Clerk’s Lawyer, before the Commission Chairman offers a ruling.

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