The Trinidad and Tobago Police Service and the Office of the Attorney General have withdrawn their legal action against Star Sabga, a 69-year-old woman who was placed under house arrest after spending several weeks in prison under a Preventive Detention Order. The order had been issued following allegations that she was involved in a plot to assassinate the Prime Minister.
The withdrawal of the legal matter brings an end to a case that had drawn public attention in the twin-island republic. Sabga had been detained under the Preventive Detention Order, a measure that allows authorities to hold individuals without charge in certain circumstances. She was later placed under house arrest before the State's legal challenge was discontinued.
The decision to withdraw the matter was taken by the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service and the Office of the Attorney General. No reasons were immediately provided for the withdrawal. The case had been before the courts, and the State's move effectively ends the legal proceedings against Sabga in this matter.
Preventive Detention Orders are used in Trinidad and Tobago in cases where authorities believe there is a threat to national security or public safety. The use of such orders has occasionally raised questions about civil liberties and the balance between security and individual rights. In this instance, the detention of a 69-year-old woman on allegations of involvement in a plot against the Prime Minister had attracted significant public interest.
The withdrawal of the legal action means that Sabga is no longer subject to the legal proceedings that followed her detention. She had been under house arrest at the time the State discontinued its challenge. The matter had been scheduled for further hearings, but the State's decision removes it from the court's docket.
The case is one of several in the Caribbean region where preventive detention measures have been used in the context of national security. Trinidad and Tobago, like other CARICOM member states, has laws that permit detention without charge in specific circumstances, though such measures are typically subject to judicial oversight. The withdrawal of the State's legal action in this instance closes one chapter of a case that had been closely followed in Port of Spain and beyond.
No further details were immediately available regarding the circumstances that led to the withdrawal or any conditions attached to it. The Trinidad and Tobago Police Service and the Office of the Attorney General have not issued additional statements on the matter. For now, the legal proceedings against Star Sabga have come to an end.
