SoE detainees deny wanting to kill DPP, attorneys

STATE of emergency (SoE) detainees Rajaee Ali and Earl Richards have signed separate public statements denying making threats against lawyers and the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) and claiming instead that they are being targeted to shape public opinion during the ongoing SoE.

In handwritten statements dated July 31, Ali and Richards each said they do not intend to harm any legal professionals and are open to taking lie detector tests to prove this. They are both awaiting trial for the murder of special prosecutor Dana Seetahal, SC, as well as gang charges.

Richards said, “I do not want to kill any lawyer, judge or the DPP. They shall be the people for my freedom.”

He also claimed that the DPP is aware of misconduct by a State attorney in the Seetahal matter, and argued that signing an indictment against him would show support for that misconduct.

Ali echoed similar sentiments, writing, “I do not want to kill the DPP. I want my day in court with him.” He accused officials of creating a false narrative to make him appear as “public enemy No 1” and challenge public trust in the justice system.

“I am not interested in killing anyone. It won’t benefit me,”Ali maintained, challenging the authorities to provide evidence to support those claims.

Police Commissioner Allister Guevarro confirmed that law enforcement was aware of threats to at least two attorneys. “Intelligence reports have verified threats made by incarcerated individuals against two criminal defence attorneys,” he said on July 30. “These matters are being actively addressed.”

The attorneys involved were notified by police but declined to speak publicly.

The threats come as the country remains under a state of emergency, declared July 18 and extended by three months on July 28. Officials say gangs have compiled a hit list of people in the justice system, including judges and prosecutors. In response, some high-risk inmates have been moved to military detention facilities in Chaguaramas.

While the government says the transfers are necessary for national security, some defence attorneys are concerned about access to clients and potential human rights violations.