PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad — Former senator, senior counsel Dana Seetahal, was assassinated in Woodbrook, shortly after midnight on Saturday.
According to a police report, Seetahal was driving her Volkswagen SUV along Hamilton-Holder Street, Woodbrook, when upon reaching the vicinity of the Woodbrook Youth Facility, two vehicles pulled alongside.
One of the vehicles then drove ahead a short distance and pulled across the road, blocking it. The other vehicle pulled alongside and its occupants opened fire on the SUV. The two vehicles then sped off.
Police believe it was a “hit” arising out of Seetahal’s involvement in the Vindra Naipaul-Coolman case. Investigations are continuing.
Reigning Power Soca Monarch Machel Montano was at the scene of the crime on Sunday morning. He was seen sitting on the pavement, weeping uncontrollably. Seetahal represented Montano in his assault trial a few years ago.
The government through the Ministry of National Security has pledged every resource necessary to the law enforcement machinery of the state and together have collectively given this the highest priority.
“We will not rest until those who have committed this most unspeakable act are brought to justice. It is critical that the perpetrators of this crime be brought to justice in the quickest possible time. As such, the Ministry of National Security working in tandem with Crime Stoppers Trinidad and Tobago has pledged one million dollars (US$155,000) for the arrest and successful conviction of these criminals,” Minister of National Security Gary Griffith said.
“I have asked the commissioner of police to bring these killers to justice and that he should use all the resources available to him in investigating this matter. Ms. Seetahal was one of the brightest legal minds in the region and this tragedy is an immeasurable loss to her profession, this country and the region as a whole,” he added.
Police on the scene
Griffith has made contact with the Commissioner of Police Stephen Williams to keep abreast on every stage of the investigation surrounding her death.
Attorney General Anand Ramlogan, in a media report, described Seetahal as a titan. “The country has lost a titan. She was the quintessential Trinbagonian. She had a carefree nature, was very public spirited and had a well-respected acumen. Seetahal served the country in several capacities, as a former independent senator, a lecturer at the law faculty and as a defense counsel. But she was also a personal friend,” he said.
Seetahal was an attorney-at-law in private practice and a former lecturer at the Hugh Wooding Law School in Trinidad, where she held the position of course director in criminal practice and procedure. She was made senior counsel in January 2006.
Before being appointed to the senate, Seetahal also served as a state prosecutor, assistant solicitor general and a magistrate.
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