- NEWSDAY.CO.TT - A la Une - 02/Sep 19:44

Prison officer presses for faster review of SoE detention

The acting assistant superintendent of prisons detained under the ongoing state of emergency is pressing for an earlier hearing of his preventive detention order, insisting he is innocent and has no links to gang activity. The Review Tribunal has scheduled September 18 to hear his challenge. But his attorney, Krystal Primus, is pushing for the date to be brought forward, arguing that her client’s detention is both unlawful and disproportionate. Primus first wrote to the tribunal on August 22, requesting a review. Then, in a follow-up letter on September 1, she urged the tribunal’s secretary to expedite the hearing, stressing the urgency of the matter. “A man is sitting in jail, not charged with a crime, not ordered by any court that he cannot access bail.” She said the detention amounted to an abuse of power, noting that the Minister of Homeland Security had already disclosed the grounds for the order. In her appeal for an earlier date, Primus argued that the original allegations underpinning the order were “invalid and untrue.” She also contended that preventive detention should only be used sparingly, to forestall imminent threats, and not as punishment for past accusations. Primus pointed to Commissioner of Police Allister Guevarro’s statement on August 12, in which he admitted the threat that triggered the SoE had been “neutralised.” Yet, she said, her client remains behind bars with no charges laid. “The tribunal’s schedule may be busy,” Primus acknowledged, “but given the pressing nature of this case, which would ordinarily warrant an emergency habeas corpus application, the continued delay is unjustified.” She said her client was ready to respond. “In the circumstances, it appears both the minister and the defence are ready to proceed on this matter, and it is the Review Tribunal that appears to be causing delay,” she wrote. The detention order, issued on August 18, accused the officer of being linked to the Radical Islamic Criminal Gang and other groups, claiming he used his position to assist incarcerated leaders, smuggle contraband, and facilitate plots against public officials. Authorities branded him “a serious threat to public safety.” The officer has firmly rejected the allegations, calling them “hearsay and propaganda.” Through his lawyer, he said he remains resolute and is determined to clear his name. His detention has drawn national attention, particularly amid ongoing revelations about security breaches in prisons and the alleged complicity of rogue officers. Since the state of emergency was declared on July 18, Homeland Security Minister Roger Alexander has issued dozens of preventive detention orders against alleged gang leaders, enforcers, and facilitators. The Review Tribunal was established to assess challenges from detainees contesting their detention. The post Prison officer presses for faster review of SoE detention appeared first on Trinidad and Tobago Newsday.