Rajaee Ali asks court to cancel transfer to Teteron

SUSPECTED gang leader and murder accused Rajaee Ali has asked the High Court to review his transfer from the Maximum Security Prison, Arouca, to Teteron Army Base in Chaguaramas. His application says the move, ordered on July 18 by the Commissioner of Prisons, was unlawful and that his detention conditions breach the Prison Rules.

Ali is seeking a court order to cancel the transfer and return him to a facility for first-division prisoners. He also wants a ruling that his rights under Section 4(b) of the Constitution were violated. He plans to add the attorney general to the case and is seeking damages, including vindicatory damages.

Ali is one of the high-risk prisoners who was confined at Building 13 of the Maximum Security Prison.

On Friday, Justice Marissa Robertson ordered Ali’s attorneys to serve the Commissioner of Prisons and the Attorney General with the application. On Saturday, she gave directions for the matter which comes up for hearing on July 28. He is represented by Keron Ramkhalwhan and Anwar Hosein.

His claim said he was moved under Section 7 of the Prisons Act, which allows the Commissioner of Prisons to transfer prisoners between prisons as needed. It said the state has not explained why Ali was moved.

The application said he has been denied access to his family, proper clothing, books, food of his choosing and daily exercise.

A state of emergency was declared on July 18 after police said they uncovered a criminal network inside prisons planning attacks on senior officials. Intelligence showed inmates were using smuggled phones to co-ordinate with criminal groups outside.

That same day, Ali and four others – Robert Paul, Daryl Bissoon, Earl Richards and Bevon Williams – were moved from the Maximum Security Prison to the Teteron Army Base in Chaguaramas. Families and lawyers were not told where the men were being held.

The application said he was strip-searched twice, blindfolded and kept in a cell with two other prisoners. He has not eaten since his transfer on July 18, fearing the food brought by masked men might be poisoned. He also fears being killed by these individuals. He has no change of clothes, books or access to his family.

His lawyers sent multiple letters to the police, prisons and attorney general demanding his location and access. Authorities later confirmed Ali was moved under the Prisons Act, but no reason for the transfer was given.

The application quoted a statement from the Prison Officers’ Association about the facilities at the Teteron Barracks. The association complained that the prison authorities failed to properly plan for essential elements such as visitor access and no adequate sleeping accommodation and toilet facilities have not been provided for prison personnel.

The application said a virtual link was provided on July 23 and is only being allowed the clothing he was wearing at the time of his transfer and a towel. “No change of clothing has been provided to the intended applicant/applicant.”

“He has been restricted to a cell at the army base which houses two other prisoners, namely, Daryl Bissoon and Earl Richards.”

According to Ali’s court filings, on July 23 at 3 pm, his attorneys, along with a Commissioner of Affidavits, requested physical access but was told access would be granted on the afternoon of July 24.

At 7 pm, his attorneys reiterated that immediate access was required as the affidavit was essential to challenge the transfer and detention, requesting access at 10pm, but no access was given.

After repeated follow-ups, attorneys for the Commissioner of Prisons told Ali’s attorneys that access had been arranged for 4 pm. However, due to the short notice, the attorneys faced difficulty securing a Commissioner of Affidavits to go to Teteron Barracks and requested a reschedule for 7.30 pm, indicating the meeting would only take five minutes. This was refused and instead offered access on July 25 at an unspecified time. No further response had been received by the time the lawsuit was filed.

Ali's attorneys contend that Teteron Barracks is a district prison for persons sentenced on summary conviction and for those held under emergency powers detention orders, which he had not been issued.

They argue that his transfer there on July 18 was for an improper purpose, either to punish him unlawfully or to exercise emergency powers, and that it has restricted his ability to instruct counsel effectively.

They also maintain that the decision to transfer Ali was a disproportionate exercise of discretion.

A High Court habeas corpus application which sought Ali’s return to MSP was dismissed on July 21.

In a related case, attorneys for state of emergency detainee Earl Richards are challenging extreme security protocols at Teteron Barracks. Lawyers Criston J Williams and Aaron Lewis of Quantum Legal said a July 23 virtual meeting required surrendering personal data to Microsoft Teams without government-provided terms, and a July 24 in-person meeting was halted when five masked, armed men demanded Richards’ counsel be searched, stripped of electronics and blindfolded. Discussions were to occur within earshot of guards and be stopped if any “coded” messages were suspected. Williams and Lewis argued the rules violate attorney-client privilege and the 1943 Prison Rules, adding two court-ordered visits were blocked. Richards is pursuing judicial review of his transfer from Maximum Security Prison to the military-run “District Prison” at Teteron Barracks, calling it unlawful.

Meanwhile, police charged Ali on July 24 with possessing banned items at Golden Grove Prison in June. Officers allege a June 25 Special Investigations Unit search found a Samsung phone, an unbranded SIM card and a charger, which are prohibited under Section 8(1)(f) of the Prison Service Act. The operation was led by Deputy Commissioner of Police Suzette Martin and approved by Commissioner of Police Allister Guevarro.

On July 23, Minister of Homeland Security Roger Alexander announced updated detention regulations under the Emergency Powers Regulations, 2025, expanding the list of approved detention centres to include Teteron Barracks, Staubles Bay, Carrera Convict Prison, the Women’s Prison and Remand Prison at Golden Grove, and the Eastern Correctional Rehabilitation Centre.