GEORGETOWN, Guyana - The chairman of the inquiry into the sinking of the MV Barima will stay in his post after President Irfaan Ali rejected his offer to resign, following the decision by the United States to revoke his visitor visa.

Justice Godfrey Phillip Smith, a Belizean jurist, chairs the five-member Presidential Commission of Inquiry into the sinking of the ferry on 18 July, which claimed more than 100 lives. The vessel capsized while travelling from Georgetown to Port Kaituma, and the commission was sworn in on 30 July to examine the cause of the disaster, the vessel's seaworthiness, passenger and cargo operations, regulatory oversight, and the search-and-rescue effort.

Smith told a news conference in Georgetown that he had offered to step down after learning that his United States B1/B2 visa had been revoked. He said he raised the matter with the president as a matter of professionalism, so that Ali could decide whether the development could in any way hinder, hamper or taint his role as chairman. According to Smith, the president emphatically declined the offer.

Inquiry resumes after two-week break

The commission resumed its public hearings on Tuesday after a two-week recess, with Smith insisting that the visa decision would not overshadow its work. The inquiry had already heard testimony from 33 witnesses before the break, including first responders and officials from Guyana's Maritime Administration Department and Civil Aviation Authority. Survivors and relatives of victims are among those expected to give evidence as the hearings continue.

On resumption, an inspector with the Maritime Administration Department, Christopher Bailey, gave evidence about his inspection of the MV Barima on 17 November 2025, describing checklist-based checks, equipment testing and the recording of deficiencies.

Figures given to the inquiry underline the scale of the disaster. The official manifest listed 116 passengers and a crew of 17, but the authorities believe 179 people, including crew members, were on board when the 87-year-old state-owned passenger and cargo ferry capsized after being hit by a large wave.

No reason given for visa revocation

Smith, a former attorney general and foreign minister of Belize, said he was notified by the United States Embassy in Belize that his visa had been revoked under Section 221(i) of the Immigration and Nationality Act. The notice said information had come to light after the visa was issued indicating that he may be ineligible for it, but it gave no further detail. The United States Embassy confirmed that the revocation was issued by the State Department, but said no further information could be provided.

Smith said he had acted in no untoward way and questioned publicly what the reasons could be. He noted that the usual reasons for visas being revoked in the region related to drug dealings or immigration matters, and he rejected any suggestion of that kind. In the absence of an official explanation, he said the only conceivable connection he could identify was his work facilitating academic exchanges and study tours with China, including engagements involving scholars from Fudan University and study tours for young leaders, including parliamentarians. He stressed that this was his own theory, not a reason provided by the United States, and noted that Belize maintains diplomatic relations with Taiwan rather than Beijing.

Smith said he accepted the decision and would not pursue the matter further, and that he would welcome a public explanation from the United States authorities. For now, he said, the visa revocation has no bearing on the commission's work, and the inquiry into one of Guyana's worst maritime disasters will continue.