Story
Trinidad Releases Businessman Dominic Hadeed and Wife Held in Alleged Assassination Plot
Summary
Dominic Hadeed, a prominent Trinidadian businessman, and his wife have been freed after nearly a month in detention without charges over an alleged plot against the country's prime minister, a case that raised civil rights concerns.
A prominent Trinidad and Tobago businessman, Dominic Hadeed, and his wife, Genevieve Hadeed, were released from prison on Thursday after being detained for nearly a month without charges. The couple had been held over allegations they were involved in a plot to assassinate Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar and other top officials, according to a Reuters report.
Details of the Release
The Hadeeds were freed after Homeland Security Minister Roger Alexander stated he accepted a tribunal's recommendation that their continued detention was not in the public interest. The couple, who own the bottled-water company Blue Waters, were arrested at their home in June under powers granted by a state of emergency declared in March to combat organized crime.
Throughout their detention, the Hadeeds have denied the allegations. In court documents, they asserted that their detention was politically motivated and amounted to retaliation against an ethnic minority perceived as supporting the opposition. Hadeed is a member of the nation's Syrian-Lebanese community.
Legal Battle and Broader Concerns
AdThe release follows a complex legal battle that escalated to the British Privy Council, which serves as Trinidad and Tobago’s highest court of appeal. Key developments in the case included:
- A Trinidadian Court of Appeal ruled last week that the couple should be released.
- The government challenged this decision and successfully argued for the Hadeeds to remain imprisoned until the Privy Council could resolve the matter.
- On Thursday, the Privy Council declined to hear the government’s appeal on an urgent basis, a move that prevented the couple from potentially remaining in custody for months.
The case has drawn significant national attention, with opposition figures and civil rights advocates voicing concern over the government's use of emergency powers. Hadeed has publicly stated that he believes his criticism of the state of emergency contributed to his arrest.
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