Walter Rodney Commission of Inquiry - Robert Allan Gates aka Clive De Nobrega Gibbs

"We are trying to get to the truth of this matter and every single document that exists and should exist, should be here that is what my point is." Selwyn A. Pieters

"Any acceptance of that discreditable witness evidence without corroboration diminishes the credibility of any decision that is made in respect to that evidence." Selwyn A. Pieters

"It is expected, given the absence of corroborative documents, the convicted fraudster will have a triumphant feeling that he managed to hoodwinked the panel."  Selwyn A. Pieters

By Selwyn A. Pieters, B.A., LL.B., L.E.C.
Lawyer & Notary Public (Ontario, Canada)
Attorney-at-Law (Republic of Guyana, Island of Trinidad)
Posted on June 25, 2014

As a lawyer with significant experience in human rights, civil rights and non-adversarial matters, I was retained to represent its interest of the Guyana Trades Union Congress (GTUC) at the Walter Rodney Commission of Inquiry. I am currently co-counsel with Brian M. Clarke representing the Guyana Trades Union Congress in the Walter Anthony Rodney Commission of Inquiry in Georgetown, Guyana.

Robert Allan Gates aka Clive Albert  De Nobrega Gibbs now known as Robert Allan Gates evidence goes primarily to iii and iv)of the Terms of Reference, which are:

(iii) To specifically examine the role, if any, which the late Gregory Smith, Sergeant of the Guyana Defence Force, played in the death of Dr. Walter Rodney and if so, to inquire into who may have counselled, procured, aided and or abetted him to do so, including facilitating his departure from Guyana after Dr. Walter Rodney’s death;
(iv) To examine and report on the actions and activities of the State, such as, the Guyana Police Force, the Guyana Defence Force, the Guyana National Service, the Guyana People’s Militia and those who were in command and superintendence of these agencies, to determine whether they were tasked with the surveillance of and the carrying out of actions, and whether they did execute those tasks and carried out those actions against the Political Opposition, for the period 1st January, 1978 to 31st December, 1980...

On the lack of any records and/or corrorobarative documents

June 06, 2014
Mr. Selwyn Pieters: Mr. Chairman, at the present time my request by way of an oral application is for Mr. De Nobrega‟s police file, for any notes that Mr. De Nobrega would have taken in his Police issue memo book while he was a member of the Guyana Police Force for the material time in question. For his certificate of discharge, when he left the Guyana Police Force and for his fact file that would have been held by the Guyana Police Force. Those are all materials that should have been properly before the Commission, in my respectful submission, prior to this Witness giving evidence; particularly his memo book of any notes he would have taken at the material time in question.

Mr. Chairman: I did not understand the Witness to be saying anything about notes taken many years ago when he was a Police. I understood him to be saying that he did make some notes for the purposes of today.
Mr. Pieters: Mr. Chairman, what you are being asked about, you are being asked about a person who functioning in an official capacity as a member of the Guyana Police Force appearing before the Commission. The Guyana Police Force issues memo books to its members and this man is coming to give evidence as to is official duties at the material time and the request is that any notes that this man would have taken while as a Guyana Police Force member be produced. He already mentioned that he was in intelligence and that they took notes so attempts have to be made to the Guyana Police Force to get those notes, and there was warning since 22nd March, 2014, that this person was coming before the Commission. So I guess the issue is why was all of the materials necessary for this person‟s evidence not here; at least that is the position from the GTUC perspective that any notes, any documents pertaining to the witness service within the Guyana Police Force and the Special Squad should have been here, and it is not here and the Witness has given evidence and there is nothing to corroborate it.

Williams deals with the issue again on June 24, 2014
Mr. Basil Williams: Mr. Chairman, you see what he is saying? This reiterates our point that we are supposed to have all his records because the Police Force is still in existence. It is not any overnight institution, but we are dealing with a witness who is telling you to get the record when the record ought to have been with us. This is not the first time that we have raised it and no effort is being made, but we have a witness coming and making all kinds of statements, we have a record, but no records come to us.

Mr. Chairman: I think we have dealt with that already, and I agreed with you that that the records should be with us.

Pilgrim Also tackles this issue
Mr. Andrew Pilgrim: Are you aware of the existence of any documents that can establish the period during which you worked in the Police Force in Guyana?
Mr. Gates: I think Mr. Balram Persaud, the Assistant Commissioner, Administration, knows me. He can provide such documents.
Mr. Pilgrim: You have the belief that such documents are in existence?
Mr. Gates: Yes, especially a copy of the real Letter of Release which should be in the personal file.

Gates is an interesting species of witness

Mr. Glen Hanoman: Mr. Gates, I wish to get one thing out of the way very quickly. Are you presently a prisoner at the Georgetown Prison in Camp Street.
Mr. Gates. Yes, I am presently serving for 48 months on what I would call „trumped-up charges‟ to prevent me from testifying here. The matters were all civil in nature and the police somehow or the other manipulated them, if that is the correct word.
Mr. Hanoman: Before you confuse us you are serving a prison sentence of 48 months in relation to what offense?
Mr. Gates. Allege obtaining by false pretence.
Mr. Hanoman: Obtaining by false pretence.
Mr. Chairman: What is the sentence please?
Mr. Hanoman: 48 months is the sentence imposed?
Mr. Gates. Yes, Sir.
****
Mr. Pilgrim: You made it clear to this Commission on the first day that you gave evidence a few weeks ago that you are currently an inmate and is serving a sentence. Has any offer, inducement or incentive of any kind, in relation to that sentence been offered to you by any party, in relation to anything you do before this Commission?
Mr. Gates: No, Sir. My date of release remains the 26th September, 2017.
****

It is expected, given the absence of corroborative documents, the convicted fraudster will have a triumphant feeling that he managed to hoodwinked the panel.

Gates did not even make the Force Orders as completing his Probationary Constable period and advancing to Substantive Constable

Mr. Hanoman: Very well. You joined the Guyana police Force in June, 1977?
Mr. Gates. Yes, Sir.
Mr. Hanoman: Having joined the Guyana Police Force, can you give us a little idea what your immediate tasks were?
Mr. Gates. Having completed my initial six-month training, I was sent to the Beat Duty Centre on Water Street to do the normal Beat Duty after which I was selected to attend the Criminal Investigation Induction Course. Subsequently, I was sent to the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) Special Squad.
Cr. ex.
Mr. Williams: Look if you join the Force in 1977 you were in training for six months.
Mr. Gates: Yes Sir.
Mr. Williams: The basic training. You know, you were confirmed after how long such training?
Mr. Gates: I never dealt with confirmation.
Mr. Williams: No Police Constable?
Mr. Gates: Two years.
Mr. Williams: Two years and that would have made you; you would have to be published in the Orders?
Mr. Gates: I did.
Mr. Williams: You would have to be published in the Orders?
Mr. Gates: Of course.
Mr. Williams: Is not that so?
Mr. Gates: Yes.
Mr. Williams: Look we do not have that record, but you were junior, very junior, in 1978 and secondly, it does not matter what you say you were undercover or not. If you said you were promoted to Sergeant.
Mr. Gates: I never said I was promoted, I said they told me that. I was not issued with any such letter. That was told to me to motivate me, but I was more concerned about the pay.
Mr. Williams: I know you were more concerned about that pay.
Mr. Chairman: Mr. Gates, you are well advised to wait until you are asked a question.
Mr. Williams: You know I am going to ask you if your promotion to Sergeant was published in the Orders so you decided to say that you did not say that.
Mr. Gates: Like I said, I do not know. That was told to me.
Mr. Williams: I am putting it to you that the Police Force could not pay you any money for any higher rank without it being published in the Orders.
Mr. Gates: Man, there was a special arrangement at police finance office bring former Commissioner Brumel, he knew about that special arrangement, he was a Corporal then.
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Mr. Williams: You calling Brummel name again. I already see the police need to have a Lawyer in here, I am representing the PNC.
Mr. Gates: I have to give you information so that you could bring people here to confirm.
Mr. Williams: So Comrade Chairman, I would be grateful if by the time we are ready to address you that we have all the records relating to this Witness so that we could use for the purposes of enlightening.
Mr. Chairman: This Witness and generally.
Mr. Williams: So Sir, I am glad you consider that we are hamstrung.
Mr. Chairman: The Commission itself might be hamstrung not the Commission Counsel.

Gates claim to be paid as a Superintendent of Police whilst a Probationary Constable cannot be believed in the absence of documentary evidence
Examination in Chief

Mr. Hanoman: Yes, so your salary was in the vicinity of 350 to 365, you are saying?
Mr. Gates: Yes, the 350 was the basic.
Mr. Hanoman: That was your salary at the time. And what was the offer made?
Mr. Gates: The offer…. The increase?
Mr. Hanoman: Yes.
Mr. Gates: Yes, because Skip Roberts told me –I do not know whether he was bluffing me, or not- I would make a raise available to you for you to be promoted from Constable to Sergeant, with a $500 increase; which I knew at the time was the pay of a Superintendent Police.

Cross-examination
Mr. Clarke: You went undercover on the recommendation of “Skip” Roberts, is that correct?
Mr. Gates: Yes. On instructions.
Mr. Clarke: Instructions. You were given a salary increase equivalent of a superintendent?
Mr. Gates: Yes, Sir.
Mr. Clarke: Was this approved internally?
Mr. Gates: It had to be.
Mr. Clarke: Was it authorised by the Finance Officer?
Mr. Gates: I do not know, Sir.
Mr. Clarke: Were you ever promoted to Superintendent?
Mr. Gates: I was never issued any document to such effect.
Mr. Clarke: No paper work completed?
Mr. Gates: No, Sir.
Mr. Clarke: You were not gazette either?
Mr. Gates: No, Sir.

Gates response on the Constitution (1966)

Mr. Clarke: Do you have any training on the Constitution of Guyana?
Mr. Gates: Constitution?
Mr. Clarke: Yes.
Mr. Gates: No. I have never really paid much attention to the… except what we were taught in classroom of a person‟s right to…
Mr. Clarke: Which classroom is this?
Mr. Gates: The Police Training College.
Mr. Clarke: And you did not pay much attention to that?
Mr. Gates: No. Like I said, they would teach us certain basic things like the rights of an arrested person and stuff like that, the constitutional rights.

His Claim in Respect to Dr. Roopnarine's detention

Mr. Gates: …because I had other duties, when not working at this Special Squad Office.
Mr. Hanoman: I see. Yes, 1979, you were in this Special Squad Office.
Mr. Gates: Like I said, I cannot remember the month. I can remember the year; when Dr. Rupert Roopnarine was brought into custody for allegedly burning down the Ministry of National Development. Prior to him coming there, I was given certain instructions by my commanding officer, Inspector Ulrich London, at the time, not to allow him any phone calls, visits, etcetera.
Mr. Hanoman: He was not behind bars or in a cell or anything like that?
Mr. Gates: No. The Special Squad Office does not have cells.
Mr. Hanoman: I see. You had interactions with Dr. Rupert Roopnarine?
Mr. Gates: Yes, as to why he was arrested. I was concerned about the special instructions given. I wanted to know if the prisoner was a high risk prisoner because I had never heard his name before getting involved in any criminal act, so we had several conversations and I think there was an opening during the discussion that he wanted a bodyguard.
Mr. Hanoman: So you came to learn that Dr. Roopnarine wanted to have a body guard?
Mr. Gates: Yes.
Mr. Hanoman: Were you offered that position?
Mr. Gates: Well, yes. I will say I was offered that position, if I was to separate myself from the Guyana Police Force.
Mr. Hanoman: And you were receptive to taking up that job?
Mr. Gates: Yes, I was receptive because during that evening, after listening to what he had to say I became very sympathetic, if you were to use that word.

Gates despite his professed love of Dr. Roopnarine was exposed of acting in his own self interest
Examination in Chief
Mr. Gates: I was very sympathetic towards the cause and what they were going through in their struggle for justice and equality and whatever.
Mr. Hanoman: You were sympathetic…
Mr. Gates: Towards the cause of the WPA.
Mr. Hanoman: Towards the cause of the WPA.
Mr. Gates: Yes, because I know what they were going through.
Mr. Hanoman: What were they going through?

Mr. Gates: Well, they had surveillance effected on them
Cross-examination
Mr. Clarke: You mentioned several times that you were sympathetic towards the WPA's  cause?
Mr. Gates: Yes.
Mr. Clarke: It was also established that whilst you were undercover you were working as a double agent. Do you agree with that?
Mr. Gates: I do not agree with the term “double agent”.
Mr. Clarke: How would you describe it?
Mr. Gates: “Double agent” would mean someone who is… I do not agree with the term, but it was used during the…
Mr. Clarke: How would you describe your role?
Mr. Gates: I was an agent of the State.
Mr. Clarke: An agent of the State. That does not explain your relationship with Dr. Roopnarine and spying on him.
Mr. Gates: Yes. I was an agent of the State, sent to infiltrate the WPA.
Mr. Clarke: So you were working for the Police for pay and the WPA for cause?
Mr. Gates: Say that again.
Mr. Clarke: Would that be accurate to say that you were working for the State for pay and the Working People‟s Alliance for cause?
Mr. Gates: Yes, cause and better remuneration.
Mr. Clarke: You strongly believed in the Working People's Alliance cause?
Mr. Gates: At the time.
Mr. Clarke: Which aspects did you believe in really? Could you help me in that issue because you kept saying that Dr. Roopnarine was a good man, you believed in their cause?
Mr. Gates: The fight for equality and justice.
Mr. Clarke: Right. Is that it?
Mr. Gates: Basically, a number of others that I cannot recall at this time.
Mr. Clarke: Your belief in their cause was equality and equal rights, is that what you are stating?
Mr. Gates: …and justice.
Mr. Clarke: And $1500 a month was it?
Mr. Gates: Yes.
Mr. Clarke: Okay.
Mr. Chairman: That was part of the cause?
Mr. Gates: With every cause these is a…
Mr. Clarke: Okay. I would just like to ask you a few general questions about your day-to-day duties with Dr. Roopnarine. Where did you go when you were his bodyguard, basically?
Mr. Gates: Well from the WPA‟s office to the University of Guyana and to several residences.
....
Mr. Clarke: Have you ever given Dr. Roopnarine any advice about acquiring arms and ammunition?
Mr. Gates: I never gave any advice.
Mr. Clarke: It was a need to know basis you operated on with him as well?
Mr. Gates: No.
Mr. Clarke: You mentioned that you held onto ammunition for him on several occasions is that correct?
Mr. Gates: Yes.
Mr. Clarke: Do you remember how many times this was?
Mr. Gates: Two or three times, I cannot remember exactly.
Mr. Clarke: You did not give your opinion about him collecting arms and ammunition?
Mr. Gates: No.
Mr. Clarke: Even though you knew they were loaded and over packed?
Mr. Gates: No.
Mr. Clarke: This is a man that you thought was a good guy, right?
Mr. Gates: Yes.
Mr. Clarke: You also said you absconded from… There was once when you mentioned that you were supposed to give him training for G3 rifle…?
Mr. Gates: Yes.
Mr. Clarke: …and you absconded from this?
Mr. Gates: Yes.
Mr. Clarke: That was because you thought Dr. Roopnarine was a good guy, and you were standing too close in case the bombs exploded?
Mr. Gates: Yes, Sir.
Mr. Clarke: Okay so it is your own personal safety you were concerned about then as opposed to Dr. Roopnarine?
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Mr. Gates: No. No like I said he was a good man.
Mr. Clarke: Okay. You said that the retired Commissioner of Police, Mr. Lewis, is one of the best in the Caribbean and you were handled by him, is that correct?
Mr. Gates: Not the best Commissioner, the best Intelligence Administrator.
Mr. Clarke: One of the best Intelligence Administrator, and you were handled by him?
Mr. Gates: Yes, Sir.
Mr. Clarke: He provided your training?
Mr. Gates: Yes, on the job.
Mr. Clarke: You said you hired other agents in the WPA including the bodyguard of Walter Rodney?
Mr. Gates: Yes, Sir.
Mr. Clarke: Did you question your supervisor about the source of his funding?
Mr. Gates: Yes, I did.
Mr. Clarke: What did he tell you?
Mr. Gates: He said it was coming from the Ministry of National Development.
Mrs. Samuels-Brown: Ministry of National…?
Mr. Gates: Development.
Mrs. Samuels-Brown: Thanks.
Mr. Clarke: You mentioned that you were asked to place two devices; one in the office at Tiger Bay and then another one on his car?
Mr. Gates: Yes.
Mr. Clarke: Do you have any training for this?
Mr. Gates: On the job.

Slack Intelligence Officers - If you really believe he was

Mr. Clarke: That is correct. When you met him, the first time, he told you that he was an agent of the state?
Mr. Gates: Pardon me?
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Mr. Clarke: He told you that he was an agent of the stage?
Mr. Gates: Yes.
Mr. Clarke: Why were you so comfortable revealing to him your position?
Mr. Gates: Because, like I said, it was somebody I knew from way back.
Mr. Clarke: You had not seen him for a very long time.
Mr. Gates: Yes but I saw him in and out. He was somebody whose family I knew well. I knew he was somebody I could have trusted, I could have confided certain things in.
Mr. Clarke: You knew that you could trust him…?
Mr. Gates: Yes.
Mr. Clarke: …and confide in him. Did you not think that he could possibly be a double agent as well like yourself?
Mr. Gates: He could have been but then there is something called damage control.
Mr. Clarke: Damage control? Would it not be exposing yourself?
Mr. Gates: It would have been his word against mine.
Mr. Clarke: Did you not reveal your position to him a bit too fast?
Mr. Gates: I do not think so. It was necessary.
Mr. Clarke: It was necessary? Why is that?
Mr. Gates: Because I thought it best that we should share intelligence because I knew how the State operated then.
Mr. Clarke: Earlier you said Mr. Lewis is one of the best in the Caribbean in intelligence training?
Mr. Gates: Yes, Sir.
Mr. Clarke: Was this the kind of stuff that he taught you?
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Mr. Gates: He taught me?
Mr. Clarke: Yes, in terms of dealing with covert operations?
Mr. Gates: Well he would give lectures from time to time.
Mr. Clarke: To reveal your status to a past friend?
Mr. Gates: No. He never said that. He never told me to do that.
Mr. Clarke: That was on your own?
Mr. Gates: There are sometimes when you are on the ground you have to make you own decisions for your own personal safety.
Mr. Chairman: That was his judgment?
Mr. Gates: My judgment.
Mr. Clarke: You were not offered any money for that?
Mr. Gates: Offered any money?
Mr. Clarke: Yes.
Mr. Gates: For?
Mr. Clarke: Speaking with Gregory Smith. There was not any potential for financial gain in that situation?
Mr. Gates: No.
Mr. Clarke: Okay.
Mr. Gates: I knew what he was on so I taught it best… We needed to share intelligence as “countrymen”.
Mr. Chairman: You mean “countrymen” as opposed to “town-men”?
Mr. Gates: Yes we were both from the country, from the riverine area so…
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Mr. Clarke: Just one final question, Mr. Gates, you mentioned that you respected Dr. Roopnarine?
Mr. Gates: Yes, Sir.
Mr. Clarke: You admired him?
Mr. Gates: Yes, Sir.
Mr. Clarke: He also paid you handsomely?
Mr. Gates: Yes, Sir.
Mr. Clarke: Why did you not reveal to him your status as a double agent if you were supportive of his cause and if indeed you did think he was a good man?
Mr. Gates: There are a lot of things that I did not do that I was told to do.
Mr. Clarke: Such as?
Mr. Gates: That could have caused harm to him.
14.20hrs
Mr. Clarke: Such as?
Mr. Gates: Many things, like that incidence at the meeting that Rabbi invaded. I was given instructions to back off and let them harm him. I did not.
Mr. Clarke: What did you do?
Mr. Gates: I drew my weapons and if they had come one step further I would have killed all of them.
Mr. Clarke: All of them.
Mr. Gates: I would have shot them between the eyes.
Mr. Clarke: You gave him three shipments or three batches rather of ammunitions that were over packed that could have potentially killed them?
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Mr. Gates: I would have ensured that he did not use them because I had to keep them for a while.

******
It was a junior lawyer that cross-examined the convicted fraudster, double-agent and jailhouse informant and even then his credibility was significantly shaken.



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Selwyn A. Pieters, B.A. (Toronto), LL.B. (Osgoode), L.E.C. (U.W.I). Lawyer & Notary Public (Ontario). Attorney-at-Law (Republic of Guyana and Republic of Trinidad and Tobago).

Selwyn has appeared at all levels of courts, including the Supreme Court of Canada in Attorney General of Ontario v. Michael J. Fraser, et al., 2011 SCC 20, Ontario Court of Appeal in Freeman-Maloy v. Marsden 267 D.L.R. (4th) 37, 208 O.A.C. 307 (C.A.); Bangoura v. Washington Post (2005) 202 O.A.C. 76, (2005) 17 C.P.C. (6th) 30 (Ont.C.A.), the Federal Court of Appeal in The Honourable Sinclair Stevens v. The Conservative Party of Canada, [2005] F.C.J. No. 1890, 2005 FCA 383. He represented Correctional Manager Mariann Taylor-Baptiste in the ground-breaking competing rights case of Taylor-Baptiste v. Ontario Public Service Employees Union, 2012 CarswellOnt 8965, 2012 HRTO 1393, 2012 C.L.L.C. 230-022 reconsideration denied in 2013 CarswellOnt 1033, 2013 HRTO 180, 2013 C.L.L.C. 230-019 at the HRTO; Civil Rights lawyer Charles Roach in the Oath cases of McAteer, Topey, Dror-Natan v. Canada (Attorney General) 2013 CarswellOnt 13165, 2013 ONSC 5895 (ON S.C.) and Roach et al. v. Canada 2012 CarswellOnt 7799, 2012 ONSC 352 (ON S.C.) which is a constitutional challenge to the oath in the Citizenship Act.

Selwyn has provided representation to persons charged with various criminal offenses including Drugs: Selling and Possessing, Shoplifting, Serious Offences of Violence: Aggravated Assault, Assault with a Weapon and Robbery, Gun Offences, sexual assault, robbery, theft, extortion, HIV/AIDS litigation; fraud, break & enter, attempted murder, murder, regulatory offences under the Occupational Health and Safety Act, professional disciplinary offences, and conspiracy offences.

Selwyn has also been involved in drugs, guns and gang trials including "Project Green Apple", "Project XXX" and "Project Kryptic", "Project Corral" which are some of Canada's largest Criminal Organization prosecutions. Selwyn is currently counsel for an accused in "Project Feline" and Project Revival" drug sting operations. In Project Corral, Selwyn's advocacy resulted in the "gang expert" evidence being discredited and the Criminal Organization charges against his client and others being tossed out by the Court: R. v. Agil, Chambers, Fullerton, Jimale and Brown 2011 CarswellOnt 18099 (Ont. CJ. July 14, 2011, Khawley J.)

Selwyn recently obtained an extraordinary remedy of costs agains the Crown for failure to provide disclosure of police officer memo book notes in R. v. W.(J.), [2013] O.J. No. 2284, 2013 CarswellOnt 6322, 2013 ONCJ 270 (Ont. CJ.).

Selwyn is the successful litigant in the recent racial profiling case involving carding of three Black men: Peel Law Association v. Pieters, 2013 CarswellOnt 7881, 2013 ONCA 396, 228 A.C.W.S. (3d) 204, 116 O.R. (3d) 81, 306 O.A.C. 314, 9 C.C.E.L. (4th) 233, [2013] O.J. No. 2695.

Selwyn has provided crucial legal advise to clients duringhigh risk situations such as gun calls, hostage taking, barricaded persons, mentally disturbed persons, high risk arrests and public order control in situations where there is significant public disorder, lawlessness, personal injury and property damage. Charges of cause disturbance and assault police can be pretextual racial profiling charges: R. v. Roach, 2005 O.J. No. 5278 (Ont. C.J.) (Criminal Law - Causing a Disturbance); R. v. Ramsaroop, 2009 CarswellOnt 5281, 2009 ONCJ 406 (Ont. CJ.); R. v. Taylor, 2010 CarswellOnt 6584, 2010 ONCJ 396, [2010] O.J. No. 3794 (Ont. CJ.)

Selwyn was co-counsel in the world's first-ever sexual HIV transmission murder trial of Johnson Aziga in Hamilton, Ontario. See, for example, R. v. Aziga, 2008 CanLII 39222 (ON S.C.); R. v. Aziga; 2008 CarswellOnt 4300 (ON S.C.) and R. v. Aziga, 2008 CanLII 29780 (ON S.C.)

Selwyn argued on racial profiling includes: R. v. Steele, 2010 ONSC 233 (ON S.C.) and R. v. Egonu, 2007 CanLII 30475 (ON SC) - Driving while black and R. v. Bramwell-Cole [2010] O.J. No. 5838 (ON S.C.) - walking while black.

Selwyn has acted in exclusion cases at the Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada: See, Song Dae Ri (Re) 2003 CarswellNat 4527; (2004) 36 Imm. L.R. (3d) 203; Liang (Re) 2002 CarswellNat 4719; 33 Imm. L.R. (3d) 251.

Selwyn has appeared in  Coroners' Inquest including: Coroner's Inquest into the Death of Negus Topey (May 02, 2005, Coroners' Court, Dr. K.A. Acheson) Ruling on Application for Standing; Coroner's Inquest into the Death of Dwight Haughton (Coroners' Court, Dr. Evans) Ruling on Application for Standing; Coroner's Inquest into the Death of Jeffrey Reodica(May 04, 2006, Coroners' Court, Dr. B. Porter) Ruling on Application for Standing

Selwyn also acted as co-counsel with C. Nigel Hughes for the families of three deceased persons killed during a civil demonstration in Linden, Guyana, at the Linden Commission of Inquiry. Selwyn is currently co-counsel with Brian M. Clarke representing the Guyana Trades Union Congress in the Walter Anthony Rodney Commission of Inquiry in Georgetown, Guyana.