Lead Editor – Newsgathering
The State of Emergency (SoE) tribunal reviewing businessman Dominic Hadeed’s Preventive Detention Order (PDO) has recommended that he be released from custody, finding that his continued detention was not necessary or expedient in the public interest, according to appeal documents filed before the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council.
The disclosure was made in an “Information About the Appeal” document filed by the appellants, the Commissioner of Police, the Minister of Homeland Security, the Attorney General and Police Constable Eldon Calliste No 16601, in their appeal against decisions arising from proceedings in the Court of Appeal of Trinidad and Tobago. The document states that the SOE tribunal received written submissions on behalf of Hadeed on July 9 and heard oral submissions at a hearing on July 10.
The appeal, filed as JCPC/2026/0066, was issued on July 21, 2026, and lists Dominic Hadeed and Genevieve Hadeed as respondents.
The matter is classified as an Appeal As of Right before the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council, Trinidad and Tobago’s final court of appeal.
According to the filing, Hadeed sought a review of his PDO on June 28, 2026, by the SoE tribunal established to conduct reviews and make non-binding recommendations to the Minister regarding the necessity for continued detention.
It states that the tribunal on July 19, 2026, recommended to the Minister that “the First Respondent’s (Dominic Hadeed) continued detention was not necessary or expedient in the public interest”.
However, the filing states that the review has not reached a conclusion, as the Minister has asked the tribunal to reopen its process.
According to the document, the Minister’s request is based on the grounds that no reasons were given for the recommendation and that he was not notified of the hearing of Hadeed’s submissions or given an opportunity to make submissions at that hearing.
The State’s filing also states that it understands a review was sought by Genevieve Hadeed but that, at the time of filing, it was unaware of the SoE tribunal having made an equivalent recommendation in her case.
Guardian Media has been informed that the SoE tribunal is expected to provide determinations on reviews involving Genevieve Hadeed and Star Sabga (Genevieve’s aunt, who is also on a PDO) in the coming days.
The current State of Emergency (SoE) Review Tribunal includes David Alexander(Chairman), Ronnie V Persad (Member), and Major (Ret.) Arden D Williams (Member).
Yesterday, Guardian Media visited the Hadeeds’ Bayshore home and observed no police activity.
It was later confirmed that the mobile unit or police officers were no longer stationed at the compound.
The development came yesterday, the same day the Privy Council listed an appeal by the State in the legal proceedings involving businessman Dominic Hadeed and his wife Genevieve Hadeed.
The State is challenging the Court of Appeal’s decision, which overturned a High Court ruling and ordered that the Hadeeds be released from custody and placed under strict house-arrest conditions while their constitutional challenge continued.
That ruling was delivered on July 16 and the Hadeeds were all set to be released and taken to their home, when the State challenged the decision hours later.
The State subsequently secured a stay of that order while it pursued an appeal before the Privy Council.
Sources familiar with the matter said Hadeed’s attorneys are seeking to have the substantive appeal before the Privy Council heard as soon as possible, given the ongoing dispute over his detention and the pending outcome of the SOE tribunal process.
The Privy Council listing does not yet provide a date for the matter to be heard; however, the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council recesses for its summer break on July 31.
Dominic and Genevieve Hadeed, along with Star Sabga, were arrested on June 24. They were detained in connection with an alleged conspiracy to commit murder against senior government officials. No formal charges have been laid.
