A High Court judge has ruled against businessman Dominic Hadeed and his wife, Genevieve Hadeed, in their habeas corpus application, which would have secured their release.
The matter, which was heard virtually over two days by Justice Frank Seepersad, arose from the couple’s detention on June 24th.
They challenged their arrest, arguing that it was unlawful and seeking their immediate release.
However, Justice Seepersad ruled that their legal team, led by Senior Counsel Douglas Mendes, failed to show any irregularities in the Preventive Detention Orders (PDOs) used to justify their continued detention.
Addressing claims that the couple were not informed they were being held under the Emergency Powers Regulations, Justice Seepersad ruled that police station diary extracts proved otherwise.
The judge ruled that once such an order is properly issued, the court cannot grant bail or order their release at this stage.
The Hadeeds were ordered to pay the legal costs incurred by the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service in defending the litigation.
The case will now be transferred to another judge.
The couple, alongside their 69-year-old relative, Star Sabga, were detained last week as police executed search warrants in connection with an alleged conspiracy to commit murder.
The PDOs state they are being held over a plot to murder Government officials and MPs, based on intelligence from an unidentified national security organisation.
They remain at the Golden Grove Prison in Arouca until the State of Emergency concludes in mid-September.