Anna-Lisa Paul
Senior Reporter
anna-lisa.paul@guardian.co.tt
Attorneys representing murder accused Rajaee Ali have given Commissioner of Police Allister Guevarro and Acting Prisons Commissioner Carlos Corraspe until 4 pm today to grant them access to their client—or face a constitutional motion to compel compliance.
In a letter dated July 20 and addressed to Guevarro, attorney Keron Ramkhalwan, acting on Ali’s behalf, stated that his client had been removed from the Maximum Security Prison (MSP) and taken to an undisclosed location to facilitate an inquiry by the T&T Police Service (TTPS).
Ramkhalwan noted that despite several attempts by Ali’s legal team to meet with him last Friday and Saturday, all requests were denied.
“We hereby make a final demand for access to the intended applicant to be granted on or before July 21, 2025, at 4 pm, failing which we are instructed to initiate proceedings by way of a constitutional motion seeking, inter alia, interim relief directing that the intended applicant be granted immediate access to his attorneys-at-law,” Ramkhalwan wrote.
The legal team is also seeking a formal undertaking from the Commissioner of Police that “no members of the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service will conduct any interview or attempt to elicit any statement from the intended applicant prior to his having had access to legal counsel.”
In similar correspondence to Acting Prisons Commissioner Corraspe, Ramkhalwan requested urgent clarification on several issues:
Whether Ali was in fact removed from the MSP, and by whose authority
The reason for his removal and current location
Whether an investigation involving Ali is ongoing
The nature and details of any allegations
Whether he has been interviewed or is scheduled to be interviewed
Whether he is being held in solitary confinement, and if so, on what grounds
Ramkhalwan stressed that Ali must be “advised of his rights and situation immediately,” and that his attorneys “must be granted prompt access to ensure his well-being and to confirm that he is not being subjected to any form of pressure, coercion, or ill-treatment.”
He further stated that as Ali’s legal representatives, they must be allowed to verify that his health is not compromised and that he is not being held under conditions amounting to duress, including unlawful solitary confinement.