Conspiracy to commit murder.
That was the allegation contained in search warrants executed by Special Branch officers on businessman Dominic Hadeed and his wife, Genevieve Hadeed, authorising police to seize and examine a wide range of electronic devices and digital records as part of an investigation.
Copies of the warrants were attached to an affidavit filed in the High Court by attorney Faris Al-Rawi, SC, in support of a habeas corpus application brought on behalf of the couple.
Justice Frank Seepersad yesterday dismissed the application for the writ of habeas corpus seeking the release of the couple, from police custody.
However, he directed Commissioner of Police Allister Guevarro to clarify whether the Hadeeds are being detained under a Preventive Detention Order (PDO).
The matter has been scheduled for a virtual hearing at 9 a.m. tomorrow. The warrants were issued on June 24 by Master Valene Guerra-Abraham pursuant to Section 5 of the Administration of Justice (Indictable Proceedings) Act, 2011, following an application by Special Branch Corporal Eldon Calliste. According to the warrants, police were investigating the indictable offence of conspiracy to murder contrary to Section 5(a) of the Offences Against the Person Act, Chapter 11:08.
The warrants authorised officers to search for and seize electronic devices, including cellular phones, laptops, tablets, hard drives, flash drives, portable storage devices and documents.
Police were also authorised to extract and interrogate digital data stored on those devices.
The documents specifically referenced communications data, stored communications, photographs, documents, voice notes, video and audio recordings, CCTV footage, text messages, location information, GPS and location history records, and application data.
In relation to Genevieve Hadeed, the warrant identified two locations: #2 Orange Grove Estate, Trincity, and #47 Western Circle, Westmoorings.The warrant stated that police believed relevant electronic devices and records linked to her could be found at those premises.
A separate warrant for Dominic Hadeed identified two locations: #1-3 Golden Grove Road, Piarco, and #23 Pine Avenue, Bayshore, Westmoorings.
Police alleged that electronic devices in his possession could contain information relevant to the conspiracy to murder investigation.
The warrants authorised officers to enter the premises at any time, seize devices, extract data and bring the information before a judge of the High Court.
An affidavit filed by Al-Rawi alleges that police executed searches at the Hadeeds’ residence and at Blue Waters offices in Orange Grove, where several electronic devices were seized.
Attached to the affidavit was a handwritten inventory listing numerous items seized, including multiple Apple iPhones, Samsung phones, Apple laptops, iPads, a Dell Latitude laptop, flash drives and a computer processing unit. Al-Rawi argued in the affidavit that the applicants were arrested pursuant to the execution of ordinary search warrants related to the conspiracy to murder investigation and not under the Emergency Powers Regulations.
He contended that the subsequent reliance on the Emergency Powers Regulations to extend their detention was unlawful.
He stated: “The Applicants were not arrested or detained under Regulation 13(1) of the Emergency Powers Regulations, 2026, nor under those Regulations at all. They were arrested in the execution of ordinary search warrants in respect of the offence of conspiracy to murder, which is not an offence against the said Regulations. The only basis advanced by the Respondent for the continued detention of the Applicants appears to be the Emergency Powers Regulations, which do not apply to the Applicants.”
