HADEEDS’ HOPES FOR FREEDOM DASHED

Late-night court challenge by State results in overturning of earlier decision

to release couple from jail and place them under house arrest

Businessman Dominic Hadeed and his wife Genevieve’s hopes for freedom were dashed yesterday, after the State secured a late-night Appeal Court ruling which ordered a stay of an earlier judgment which had ordered that they be released from jail and be placed under house arrest. Following an emergency hearing last night, Chief Justice Ronnie Boodoosingh and Appellate Judges Mark Mohammed and Ricky Rahim granted an interim stay of the judgment delivered hours earlier by three of their colleagues.

The panel also granted final leave for an appeal to the Privy Council by the State, as the move for the country’s highest appellate court to weigh in on the case was not opposed by the couple’s legal team.The outcome of last-minute development meant that the couple were not released from the Golden Grove Prison in Arouca to return to their Westmoorings home as initially anticipated, and despite earlier efforts to facilitate the court’s initial order.

The interim stay will remain in place until CJ Boodoosingh and his colleagues hear further submissions on the issue at 3 pm today.

Khan: Hadeeds’ case raises socio-eonomic inequalities in T&T

Criminal Bar Association president Israel Khan, SC, says the decision to release Dominic and Genevieve Hadeed from prison and place them under house arrest has only underscored the socio-economic inequalities that exist in this country.

The Hadeeds were arrested on June 24 and spent 22 days in custody before being ordered released from prison yesterday and placed under house arrest by the Appeal Court. However, the State last night secured a stay of that decision from another Appeal Court panel of judges, pending a challenge of the earlier decision to the Privy Council.

Responding shortly after the initial virtual decision was handed down by Justices of Appeal Peter Rajkumar, Mira Dean-Armorer and Joan Charles in the Port-of-Spain High Court yesterday, Khan said, “This could signal to the country that there’s one law for the impoverished and another law for the rich, and I hope not.”

Despite this, he added, “I have confidence in the Judiciary and that due process has taken place.”

The UNC must be thankful to the powers above for Boodoosingh, Rahim and Mohammed. I am thankful for them also. Let justice prevail.

…up to news time no real

policies yet but we trust the process.

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Robinson-Regis confirms Blue Waters lease note 3 days before election

THREE days before the April 28, 2025 general election, then attorney general Camille Robinson-Regis gave instructions via a handwritten note to prepare land leases related to Blue Waters Company Ltd. The Express obtained the text of the note, which read: 'CD, Reference is made to Folio 10. Please be advised that the Civil Law Department is hereby instructed to prepare the requisite leases to give effect to the Cabinet decision. CR Robinson-Regis 25.04.25.' The Express also obtained a voice note purportedly sent along with a photograph of the handwritten note to a senior officer in the Civil Law Department.

The person is heard saying: 'This is for the Blue Waters file, if it is that you want to proceed with the instructions before you get the file I just say-let me take the picture as AG not too long did it, right. Well, send me the picture of it. So I say let me know, so you can do what you need to do in case we take a lil long to get the file.'

Opposition MP Camille Robinson-Regis, who was attorney general at the time, had previously indicated that the matter was not rushed. In response to questions from the Express yesterday, Robinson-Regis confirmed the authenticity of the note.

One day, one day congotay.

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"Transparency is not a threat to those who have nothing to hide. If the hands are clean, the books should be open to the public." "Secrecy breeds suspicion. In a democracy, public trust is maintained when political parties treat their financing as a matter of national accountability, not internal privacy."

After the disclosures by the PNM

"better days are ahead"