Senior Reporter
Lawyers representing businessman Dominic Hadeed, his wife Genevieve, and her 69-year-old aunt Star Sabga have stated that they are not waging a war against the Government and are only seeking to restore their reputations.
The trio’s lawyer Faris Al-Rawi made the statement yesterday evening, as he hosted a media conference to provide an update on their ongoing legal proceedings over their detentions for a purported plot to assassinate key Government officials, including Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar.
Al-Rawi said: “Our clients are not in a war with the Government. They just want to clear their good names.
“For the record, our clients completely deny any form of criminal activity. They have never been before the courts of T&T for anything related to criminal matters let alone something as serious as this.”
Al-Rawi said Sabga was released from the Golden Grove Prison in Arouca around 11.30 pm on Monday night and placed under house arrest at her Westmoorings apartment by police officers assigned to the Special Branch.
He noted that while State attorneys obtained a six-hour stay of Justice Vigel Paul’s decision to order her conditional release in order to file an appeal, they did not seek a stay when the appeal came up for case management before Appellate Judge Carla Brown-Antoine yesterday afternoon.
The appeal is expected to be heard by an Appeal Court panel on September 14.
Asked about Sabga’s current condition after over a month in prison, Al-Rawi said: “She is very distressed and in need of medical attention. However, she does not want to be viewed as somebody who is the exception to the rule. She considers herself as a regular person in T&T.”
He commended the police officers involved in Sabga’s transition from prison to home detention for their professionalism.
During the media conference, Al-Rawi firmly denied imputations that he or other members of the trio’s legal team were responsible for leaking a recording of an intercepted call between Sabga and Genevieve, which formed the basis of their detention on Preventive Detention Orders (PDOs).
The recordings were shared on the website of a weekly newspaper last week and were subsequently widely circulated on social media, leading the T&T Police Service (TTPS) to launch a probe.
He noted that last Friday, Homeland Security Minister disclosed 13 short clips, totalling a little over two minutes, and he and his colleagues requested the disclosure of the unedited recording, which they are still yet to receive.
“We could not be the source of the disclosure because we do not intercept communications,” Al-Rawi said.
Al-Rawi declined to say whether he and his colleagues believed that the recording was procured using a warrant under the Interception of Communications Act.
Under the legislation, law enforcement officials can intercept communications without a warrant in the interest of national security or to prevent a crime from being committed.
However, a warrant is required if intercepted communications are to be used in criminal cases.
Al-Rawi noted that statements linked to Sabga in the recording were wrongly attributed to Hadeed and his wife in their PDOs, raising questions over the basis for their detentions, which would be considered by the courts in their substantive case that comes up for hearing tomorrow.
“That warrants an explanation,” Al-Rawi said.
However, he declined to comment on derogatory racial slurs that were purportedly used by Sabga in the conversation with Genevieve.
“I prefer not to descend into that because there is a whole basket of issues associated with that. I have my own views, but I am not permitted as an attorney to express anything besides the law,” Al-Rawi said.
“I have looked at the comments online, and there are different views. Democracy is alive and well in our country when you see the views online,” he added.
Al-Rawi said that the numerous alleged irregularities with the trio’s detentions raised questions over PDOs currently in place for hundreds of citizens under the ongoing State of Emergency (SoE).
“Are there more people in similar circumstances…Does this affect anyone else?” Al-Rawi asked.
He called on the Legal Aid and Advisory Authority (LAAA) and the Law Association of T&T (LATT) to consider whether they could assist such persons.
He noted that persons on PDOs may not be able to access legal aid based on current rules of engagement.
“It is time to look at what the new normal is,” Al-Rawi said.
The trio was arrested in late June based on purported intelligence gathered by the Strategic Services Agency (SSA).
The Hadeeds’ bid for interim release was initially blocked by Justice Frank Seepersad before being upheld by a panel of the Court of Appeal, which took issue with the justification put forward by Alexander for their detention on PDOs.
Another Court of Appeal panel led by Chief Justice Ronnie Boodoosingh stayed their colleagues’ findings pending the determination of a final appeal before the United Kingdom-based Privy Council.
The SoE Review Tribunal then recommended the trio’s release from detention.
The PDOs against the Hadeeds were lifted late last week after the Privy Council indicated that it could only hear the State’s appeal in October. The stay was mainly based on the appeal being heard by the country’s highest appellate court within two weeks.
Alexander has challenged the tribunal’s move to issue the non-binding recommendations without giving him an opportunity to present his views.
The Hadeeds have filed a substantive case challenging their detention and alleging that they are being targeted by the Government based on their ethnicity and a legal challenge over a move to terminate their leases for State land.
The Hadeeds and Sabga are also being represented by Douglas Mendes, SC, Gilbert Peterson, SC, Rishi Dass, SC, Dhemendra Punwasee, Jerome Rajcoomar, Chase Pegus, and Carlon Mc Leod.
Alexander, the AG’s Office and the T&T Police Service (TTPS) are being represented by British King’s Counsel Sir James Eadie, Gerald Ramdeen, Dayadai Harripaul and ASP Ramdath Phillip.
TIMELINE
June 26: Star Sabga, 69, was detained as police expanded a national security investigation involving businessman Dominic Hadeed and his wife Genevieve Hadeed.
On the same day, Homeland Security Minister Roger Alexander signed a Preventive Detention Order (PDO) against her, alleging intelligence linked her to an ongoing conspiracy to assassinate members of the Government and that her detention was necessary to protect public safety.
July 2: Sabga’s PDO was published as Legal Notice No 495 of 2026, outlining allegations that she advocated violence against Government officials, had access to persons capable of facilitating violent criminal activity, and formed part of a wider plan to destabilise the Government.
July 24: Sabga sought interim release before Justice Vigel Paul. The State requested time to respond to her evidence, and the matter was adjourned to July 27. She remained in custody, even as the PDOs against Dominic and Genevieve Hadeed were revoked.
July 27: Justice Paul ordered Sabga’s release on strict house arrest pending her constitutional challenge, finding there was a serious issue to be tried and questioning the need for her continued detention after the Hadeeds had been released. The order was stayed until 11.20 pm to allow the State to seek an appeal.
