Lawyers for Rajaee accuse State of plotting to kill him

Attorneys representing murder accused Rajaee Ali, who is currently detained at the Teteron Barracks, Chaguaramas, under State of Emergency (SoE) orders, have accused prison and police officials of “setting the stage” so they can legally execute him under the guise of an attempted getaway.

Demanding to meet with Ali last evening following social media claims that his client had escaped from the military base, attorney Keron Ramkhalwan said they had “identified a pattern of misinformation and false narrative being advanced by the Government of Trinidad and Tobago in an apparent attempt to justify the allegations.”

Ramkhalwan, who is instructed by Anwar Hosein, said the allegations were that Ali, along with others, is involved in a plot to destabilise the country by targeting members of the judiciary and Director of Public Prosecution’s Office; that Ali was transferred to Tetetron Barracks as a response to the alleged national security threat; that drones were located flying over Tetetron Barracks; and that Ali had escaped from his prison cell at the secure facility.

In a letter to acting Prisons Commissioner Carlos Corraspe around 6 pm yesterday, Ramkhalwan said, “It is our considered position that the narrative currently being disseminated by the authorities constitutes a deliberate construct, designed to facilitate the extrajudicial execution of the intended applicant (Ali) at the direction of the State.”

He added, “This narrative also appears intended to provide justification for the extreme measures recently adopted by the Government, including the contemplated or declared State of Emergency.”

In the circumstances, Ali’s legal team requested urgent confirmation of the dates and times the drones were identified by the T&T Prison Service, T&T Defence Force or T&T Police Service; pictures of the drone/s mentioned; whether there has, in fact, been any attempt by Ali to escape custody; and if Ali remained in the custody and control of the State.

Ramkhalwan said last evening’s request to meet with Ali was intended to reassure his legal team, as well as Ali’s relatives, that he had not been killed by officials; and was part of the wider effort to safeguard Ali’s constitutional right to legal representation and to give instructions concerning the serious public allegations being made against him.