Prisons boss sent on leave amid complaint Hadeed getting VIP treatment in jail

Prisons Commissioner Carlos Corraspe was sent on leave — reportedly for four months — days after the Prison Officers' Association (POA) filed a formal complaint alleging that detained businessman Dominic Hadeed was receiving privileges unavailable to other inmates at the Maximum Security Prison (MSP) in Arouca.

POA General Secretary Lester Logie confirmed he wrote directly to Corraspe on the Friday before the leave was announced, copying Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar and Homeland Security Minister Roger Alexander. 

In the letter, Logie alleged Hadeed — founder and executive chairman of Blue Waters Products Limited — was regularly found outside his cell after 8 or 9 pm, spending extended periods inside the prison's administrative building, an area ordinarily off-limits to inmates, and watching World Cup football while fellow detainees remained locked in their cells. Logie said the disparity had prompted threats against prison officers from other detainees.

Superintendent Elvin Scanterbury has been appointed to act in Corraspe's absence. This marks the second time Corraspe has been sent on leave since his appointment as commissioner in July 2024.

Prison sources pushed back against the VIP treatment claims, insisting Hadeed — held alone in a cell at the Remand Prison, Golden Grove, since June 26 — has received standard care, including medical assessment and infirmary access. 

One source acknowledged Hadeed purchases commissary items rather than eating regular prison meals, describing him as "very health-conscious," but was firm: "The conditions are the same. That is all we have to give."

The Hadeeds, arrested June 24 amid an alleged conspiracy to assassinate senior government officials including the Prime Minister, have since appealed Justice Frank Seepersad's High Court ruling denying them interim release.

• Prisons Commissioner Carlos Corraspe sent on leave reportedly for four months • POA General Secretary Lester Logie filed complaint alleging Hadeed received preferential treatment at MSP Arouca • Logie alleged Hadeed was found outside his cell after 8–9 pm and inside the administrative building — off-limits to inmates • Logie copied PM Kamla Persad-Bissessar and Homeland Security Minister Roger Alexander on the complaint letter • Superintendent Elvin Scanterbury is acting commissioner during Corraspe's absence • This is Corraspe's second leave since his July 2024 appointment • Prison sources confirmed Hadeed has been held alone in a cell at Golden Grove Remand Prison since June 26 • Prison sources denied preferential treatment, saying conditions are uniform across detainees • Hadeed and wife Genevieve were arrested June 24 under Preventive Detention Orders linked to an alleged assassination conspiracy • The Hadeeds have appealed Justice Frank Seepersad's ruling denying them interim release

The Hadeed affair has collided three distinct crises into a single flashpoint: a politically charged State of Emergency detention, a prison system officers themselves describe as deteriorating, and an institutional leadership vacuum at the Prisons Service. 

With Corraspe now absent for a reported four months — his second leave since taking office in July 2024 — the system faces a test of governance credibility at precisely the moment public scrutiny is most intense.

"A FOIA response revealed the Maximum Security Prison recorded 104 chickenpox cases between November 11, 2025 and January 16, 2026, with five prison officers also contracting the disease — the prison's infirmary pleading for PPE and warning that without immediate reinforcements, 'the risk of non-stop transmission remained significantly high.'"

— Trinidad Guardian, citing FOIA response dated March 10, 2026

Viewpoint: POA General Secretary Lester Logie did not mince words. In a letter copied to Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar and Homeland Security Minister Roger Alexander, he alleged Hadeed was routinely found outside his cell after 8 or 9 pm, spending significant time inside the prison's administrative building — a space ordinarily off-limits to inmates — watching World Cup football while fellow detainees remained locked down. Logie's core concern was officer safety: other detainees, perceiving the disparity, reportedly threatened prison staff. 'Members were being threatened because of it,' he said.

Viewpoint: Multiple sources inside the system pushed back firmly. Hadeed occupies a single cell — standard practice for PDO detainees — has been assessed by prison medical staff, and can access the infirmary as needed. One source acknowledged Hadeed purchases items from the prison commissary rather than eating standard meals, describing him as 'very health-conscious.' But the broader point was blunt: 'The conditions are the same. That is all we have to give.' The subtext was clear — in a system stretched to its limits, uniform treatment means uniformly constrained care.

Viewpoint: Giselle Mashana, CEO of Vision on Mission, reframed the debate entirely. 'Humane prison conditions — it's not just about giving the person in custody a comfortable place; it's not just about comfort or privilege,' she told the Trinidad Guardian. For advocates, the Hadeed controversy risks becoming a distraction from a structural crisis that predates any single detainee — and will outlast this one.