IT’S the truth.
Defence attorney Criston J Williams said yesterday that Defence Minister Wayne Sturge’s statement in Parliament last Friday that police had prior knowledge of a threat on the life of State prosecutor Dana Seetahal was no lie.
According to Sturge, police had received intelligence of an intended hit on Seetahal before the attack (that occurred in May 2014). He said the information had been shared with relevant law enforcement units, without publicly naming specific suspects, and that investigations were ongoing to determine how the warnings were handled.
Speaking to the Express briefly yesterday, Williams said the TTPS failed to protect Seetahal’s life and also failed to look at other possible theories as to why she was killed and who had ordered it.
Williams provided the Express with two letters he had written in December 2024 to former commissioner of police Erla Harewood-Christopher, and Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) Roger Gaspard, SC, on behalf of his client, murder accused Rajaee Ali.
In the letter to Harewood-Christopher, Williams said, “The TTPS, its organs and agents were aware of the threats made to Ms Seetahal’s life and failed to use the resources available to them, the Strategic Services Agency (SSA), to prevent the unlawful death of Ms Seetahal. The SSA has been in operation for over 20 years before Ms Seetahal’s passing.”
Williams further stated in the letter that the failure of the TTPS to protect Seetahal’s life was a breach or omission to perform a duty, and was a violation of her right to life.
Williams said during Rajaee Ali’s preliminary hearing, the prosecution presented the applicant’s (Ali) data, which was “intercepted as per the Interception of Communications Act Chapter 15:08. This allows digital evidence against an individual who conspired and or committed a criminal offence.”
Williams said Ali contended that this “evidence metadata is vulnerable to manipulation, making the authentication of digital evidence a significant challenge.”
According to Williams, the TTPS, its organs, and its agents received advanced warning from the SSA before Seetahal’s death.
He said the TTPS failed to grant a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request to provide all digital evidence as well as copies of records, documents, data, memos, emails, correspondence, analysis, telecommunications and threat level received from the SSA regarding the potential death of Seetahal.
However, on February 7, 2025, the TTPS in a response also seen by the Express denied the request, stating that the matter was now before the court and it did not want to “potentially prejudice the trial.”
Letter to DPP
In a similar letter to DPP Roger Gaspard, Williams asked whether other possible theories connected to Seetahal’s killing had been explored.
Among the theories he posed to the DPP was that “the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) offered assistance in the investigation of this murder because they believed that a transitional drug organisation well-orchestrated it. Former Commissioner of Police Mr Gary Griffith, on November 14, 2014, informed a news reporter from The Express that the DEA collaborated with the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service regarding the investigation of Ms Seetahal’s death. We ask you to confirm or deny the accuracy of Mr Griffith’s statement. US Assistant Secretary of State William Brownfield went even further by specifying and/or directing the DPP where to focus their investigation. He hinted that Ms Seetahal previously worked with US authorities regarding the increased use of the Caribbean region as a transit point for US-bound drugs. In the first instance, we ask if you are aware of this information. In the second, was this information presented to the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions?”
Williams asked the DPP if he accepted or rejected this as a possible theory, along with seven other theories he listed.
The DPP, however, failed to answer any of the attorney’s questions, prompting Williams to take action on behalf of his client Rajaee Ali. The matter of the DPP failing to give any answers is now before the court.
Williams told the DPP in his letter that, “Transparency is crucial, with investigations and prosecution open to public scrutiny and participation from victims’ families while protecting sensitive information when necessary. States should be transparent about the existence, procedures, and findings of investigations. Still, limitations on transparency should only apply to protect privacy, safety, or ongoing investigations, never to conceal the fate of victims or allow impunity.”
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Mark Bassant Mar 17, 2026.