Rajaee Ali served with SoE detention order

Rajaee Ali. -

MURDER accused and suspected gang leader Rajaee Ali has been served with a preventative detention order under the state of emergency (SoE).

The order was executed on August 19. This effectively alters his legal status and removes him from the usual protections of the prison rules. His change in status was revealed at a hearing on August 25.

Ali is again challenging his transfer from the Maximum-Security Prison to Teteron Barracks, Chaguaramas.

He has sought interim court orders for airing time, access to showers and toilets, weekly family contact, clothing, and confirmation of whether a cellmate has tuberculosis. He is also asking for declarations that his transfer and detention conditions are unlawful, along with constitutional relief and damages.

Ali has filed several challenges since his transfer and detention at the military bases in Chaguaramas, under the ongoing SoE, claiming he is being held in inhumane conditions and denied basic rights.

Ali, who has been awaiting trial for the murder of special prosecutor Dana Seetahal, SC, since 2014, said he was removed from the Maximum Security Prison, Arouca, on July 18, hours after the SoE was declared and relocated to a military facility without proper explanation. He told the High Court in an affidavit that neither he nor his attorneys has been able to confirm his precise location, though he believes he remains at Teteron Barracks.

His hearing for interim relief was heard by an emergency judge, Justice Westmin James, on August 25.

His attorney, Keron Ramkhalwhan, said Ali’s wife was contacted by the prison’s welfare office and would be allowed to deliver clothing twice weekly. However, he said some of the other issues may persist, but he and his co-counsel, Anwar Hosein, have yet to receive more recent instructions.

Senior Counsel Anand Ramlogan, who leads Jared Jagroo for the Attorney General, said while the State is not admitting to any of the allegations, “given the shifting nature of the application, there is anticipation that interim relief may not be necessary.”

He then clarified Ali’s new status as an SoE detainee, arguing that the new classification means he is being held under emergency detention powers, not the prison rules

Ramlogan also told the judge that Ali was being held in a cell by himself, “so there is no likelihood of him contracting tuberculosis,” in response to Ali’s claim that he was placed with a sick inmate.

Ali has accused the authorities of subjecting him to harsh conditions since his transfer. In his latest challenge, Ali said that before his transfer, he was considered a model prisoner. He was allowed daily airing, family visits, halal meals provided through relatives, participation in Eid prayers, and enrolment in CSEC examinations scheduled for 2026. He also served as a mentor to other inmates and was never disciplined for misconduct.

Since July 18, however, Ali alleges he has been confined without airing time, denied family contact, subjected to repeated strip searches, and given questionable meals by masked officers who refuse to identify themselves. He claims his religious dietary requirements are being ignored and that he has been deprived of clothing, toiletries, books, and legal consultation.

On August 8, Ali was reportedly blindfolded and moved to another cell, where he said conditions worsened. According to his affidavit, he shared a small, unventilated cell with another prisoner, relies on a bucket for waste disposal, and endures constant artificial light, mosquito infestations, and threats from masked guards.

“My treatment amounts to punishment without legal justification,” Ali said, arguing that the transfer was done to penalise him rather than maintain security.

President Christine Kangaloo declared the SoE on July 18, citing intelligence that incarcerated individuals were plotting attacks on key national security and justice officials. The government subsequently designated Teteron Barracks and Staubles Bay as district prisons.

Police described the relocations as “rapid containment actions” to disrupt organised criminal networks, but Ali insists he is being used as a scapegoat. He denied involvement in any plot against the judiciary or the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions, saying, “All I want is my day in court to answer the charges.”

Ali also accused police of intimidation, claiming officers warned Ramkhalwhan that he had threatened the lawyer’s life. Both men have denied the allegation.

In addition to the interim orders, Ali has asked for declarations that his transfer and detention conditions are unlawful, along with constitutional relief and damages.

He now intends to challenge the constitutionality of the detention order. Ali has maintained his innocence and said he has never been convicted or sentenced. He said as a first division prisoner, he is legally presumed innocent and entitled to privileges under the 1943 Prison Rules.

Also appearing at the hearing were Ian Benjamin, SC, and Renuka Rambhajan for the Commissioner of Prisons. James ordered that the prisons commissioner be added as a party to the matter and adjourned the case to September 5, when it will be heard by Justice Marissa Robertson, who is also presiding over Ali’s previous application.