Senior Reporter
Star Sabga, who is alleged to be the main conspirator in a plot to murder Government officials, has made at least three requests to be seen by a medical doctor while under house arrest at her Westmoorings apartment. However, she is yet to get a response from Commissioner of Police Allister Guevarro on the matter.
Sabga, 70, along with Dominic Hadeed and his wife, Genevieve, was placed under a Preventive Detention Order (PDO) for allegedly plotting to murder Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar. The Hadeeds later had their PDOs revoked by Homeland Security Minister Roger Alexander, while High Court Judge Justice Vashiest Kokaram Paul ordered Sabga’s release from the Women’s Prison in Arouca to house arrest on July 27.
In letters dated July 29, July 30 and August 10, attorney Carlon Mc Leod requested permission from Guevarro for Sabga to be examined by her physician, Dr Jacqueline Pereira-Sabga. The initial request asked that the doctor be allowed to visit at a time convenient to the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service (TTPS).
Correspondence between Mc Leod and Guevarro shows that between July 28 and August 10, at least three requests were made for Dr Pereira-Sabga to examine her patient.
In a follow-up letter to his first request, Mc Leod wrote: “More urgently, medical attendance. At paragraph 9 of my previous letter, I requested that Dr Jacqueline Pereira-Sabga be permitted to medically examine our client at such times as may be necessary. I have received no response to that request. Paragraph 3 of the Order of the Honourable Mr Justice Paul expressly contemplates approved medical attendants, and I respectfully say that approval ought not to be withheld where the health of a detained person is in issue.”
Mc Leod also stated that, during a visit on July 29, Sabga told him she was in “severe discomfort” and had repeatedly requested access to her doctor.
“Our client is 70 years of age. Since the commencement of her detention, she has lost approximately 29 pounds in weight. She suffers from constant chest pains. She has not been sleeping. She has not been medically assessed at any time since her release into supervision at the residence. Chest pain in a woman of that age, presenting together with significant unintended weight loss, is not a matter upon which any of us should be content to wait,” he wrote.
The attorney further requested that any medical examination be conducted in private and out of earshot of police officers, in keeping with medical confidentiality and dignity. He also asked that Dr Pereira-Sabga be permitted to take any equipment required for the examination and that prescribed medication be delivered whenever necessary, rather than only during scheduled meal deliveries.
The attorneys sent five letters overall to Guevarro (two others dealt with visits by her legal counsel), but only one, dated July 28, received a response. That correspondence sought approval for 11 attorneys to visit Sabga and for meals to be delivered to her residence, subject to inspection by police officers.
Mc Leod stressed that the attorneys would not visit “en masse” but would form part of an approved legal team handling multiple court matters arising from Sabga’s detention.
Guevarro rejected the request for all 11 attorneys to attend, approving only Mc Leod and one alternate attorney when required. He noted that most of the attorneys listed had not previously represented Sabga while she was detained.
The proposed legal team included Douglas Mendes, SC, Gilbert Peterson, SC, Rishi Dass, SC, Faris Al-Rawi, SC, Chase Pegus, Jerome Rajcoomar, Ryan Rajcoomar, Dharmendra Punwasee, Christopher Hadeed and Mona Al-Rawi.
Mc Leod later explained that all the attorneys were needed because several court matters required affidavits and related evidence from Sabga.
“It further requires the attendance upon our client of a commissioner of affidavits, and we accordingly request your approval for the attendance of Mr Ronaldo Dopwell, Commissioner of Affidavits, upon our client,” he wrote on August 6.
Regarding meals, Guevarro approved deliveries only at 7 am, noon and 5 pm, citing security concerns and the need for officers to inspect items before they reached Sabga. He wrote that the arrangement already placed an additional burden on TTPS resources, particularly during the ongoing State of Emergency, and called for “a degree of reasonableness” in requests made under the court order.
The attorney’s final letter, dated August 10, complained that Guevarro had failed to respond to any correspondence after July 28.
Under her house arrest conditions, Sabga remains confined to her apartment at Regent Towers, Westmoorings, under TTPS supervision. She has surrendered her passport, travel documents and electronic communication devices and may leave only for approved medical or legal appointments.
Psychologist concerned about treatment
Psychologist Dr Sean De Mills says the CoP’s refusal to allow Sabga a medical visit may need legal intervention.
Addressing the situation yesterday, De Mills said denying access to healthcare could raise serious legal and human rights concerns.
“I am surprised to hear that these petitions are being raised repeatedly and the Commissioner of Police, in his wisdom, has decided to either delay access or not grant it at all,” De Mills said.
“This ought to be something for judicial review. We cannot be a country where, because someone is accused of something, they are denied medical treatment and access.”
De Mills also warned that prolonged isolation could negatively affect both physical and mental health, particularly for an elderly person.
However, defence attorney Fareed Ali took a different view, noting that Sabga remains in the comfort of her own home rather than in detention.
“Her right to liberty, security and personal enjoyment of property is being observed,” Ali said, adding that her access to legal counsel satisfies her constitutional rights. He argued that the conditions of her house arrest were negotiated through her attorneys and approved by the court.
Residents of Regent Towers meanwhile questioned the heavy police presence outside Sabga’s apartment, describing it as an inefficient use of police resources. They also expressed concern for the mental welfare of the elderly woman.
