Businesswoman and cheese manufacturer Star Sabga has been released from detention after the government revoked the Preventive Detention Order that had kept her in custody. Her release follows weeks of legal proceedings challenging her detention under Trinidad and Tobago’s state of emergency.
Sabga, 69, was detained under a Preventive Detention Order (PDO) issued during the state of emergency in connection with an alleged plot to assassinate Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar and other senior government officials. She denied wrongdoing and challenged the legality of her continued detention. Her case came before the High Court after lawyers argued that there was insufficient basis for keeping her in custody.
The High Court ordered Sabga’s release under house arrest in July after Justice Vigel Paul upheld her constitutional claim. The judge questioned why Sabga remained detained after Homeland Security Minister Roger Alexander revoked the PDOs against businessman Dominic Hadeed and his wife, Genevieve, who had also been detained in connection with the alleged conspiracy. The State initially sought a stay of the ruling while it considered an appeal, but Sabga was allowed to leave prison after the stay expired. She remained subject to court-imposed conditions while legal proceedings continued.
The revocation of the PDO marks a further development in a case that has drawn attention to the use of preventive detention powers during the state of emergency. Sabga’s release follows the earlier release of the Hadeeds, whose detention orders were also revoked. The case has raised legal questions about the balance between national security powers and constitutional protections, as well as the evidence required to justify continued detention. Authorities have not announced that Sabga has been charged with a criminal offense in connection with the alleged plot.