Dominic Hadeed, 52, is one of Trinidad and Tobago’s best-known entrepreneurs and the Executive Chairman of Blue Waters Products Ltd, the company behind one of the Caribbean’s largest bottled water brands. He has received several business accolades, including recognition as an Ernst & Young Master Entrepreneur of the Year.
Hadeed is now at the centre of a major legal matter following his detention under Trinidad and Tobago’s Emergency Powers Regulations.
On June 24, police executed search warrants at his Bayshore, Westmoorings home, where he and his wife, Genevieve Hadeed, were detained. Authorities have said the investigation relates to allegations of a conspiracy to murder. Court documents cited the offence under the Offences Against the Person Act, but, according to reports, did not identify an intended victim in the warrant.
Police also conducted searches at several properties and seized multiple electronic devices as part of the investigation.
The following day, Genevieve Hadeed’s maternal aunt, Star Sabga, was also detained.
Authorities subsequently issued Preventive Detention Orders (PDOs) under the Emergency Powers Regulations. Government officials have stated that the broader investigation concerns an alleged plot targeting senior Government officials, including Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar.
No criminal charges have been laid against Dominic Hadeed, Genevieve Hadeed or Star Sabga. They remain detained under the Preventive Detention Orders while legal proceedings continue.
The detentions have prompted significant public discussion about the use of emergency powers and preventive detention. Justice Frank Seepersad recently declined an urgent habeas corpus application but directed the Commissioner of Police to clarify the legal basis for the continued detention. The matter remains before the High Court.
The Hadeeds’ attorneys have challenged the legality of the detention, while the State has maintained that the measures are connected to an ongoing national security investigation.
As the case proceeds through the courts, the allegations remain untested, and all detained individuals are presumed innocent unless proven guilty in a court of law.
