By Eva Kuson* - Wednesday, 17 August 2011

Today’s hearing carried on from yesterday proceedings in identifying the files brought before the inquiry. Council assisting Simon Ketan made a brief formal opening on the preliminary findings and addressing also the legal issuance of the SABLs. He outlined the statement of case on which the Commission of Inquiry was ordered into the SABL and all matters relating to it.

The current system of SABLs has resulted in long term economic loss and rate of environmental degradation caused by logging operations under SABL and is becoming a national and international concern. And as such the National Government has considered it important enough to warrant special attention hence the Prime Minister decision of convening a full scale investigation.

The enquiry will cover all 15 Terms of Reference, however, depending on the information available to them they will concentrate on the ToR (a) determining the legal authority for the issuance of SABL and (b) determining the procedure for issuance of SABL in accordance with the legal authority (if any). Ketan delineated the process of the issuance of SABL in reference to relevant sections under Land Act 1996 and Agricultural Act.

Yesterday Deputy Secretary for Lands and Physical Planning Romily Kila-Pat gave a full 26 page affidavit before the commissioners in regard to the department’s issuance of SABL to registered customary land owners. Today the Titles Registrar from DLPP gave his affidavit and the conclusions from the two affidavits will be made at the next hearing.

Though there is progress on the hearing starting with these two key persons from DLPP there is still more work to be done in obtaining files from the DLPP and its likely that the inquiry will have to be extended pending the collection and collating of the files.

On a good note there will be a task force appointed by Parliament to implement the recommendations of the CoI so there will be a positive change and hope for those land owners who have their land taken away from them under the pretence of SABL.

In the coming hearing we will be reading a whole lot more from the affidavits presented from different stakeholders in the SABL dealings and issuances and concluding evidence. 

*The writer is a AN special correspondent for the duration of the CoI*