By Sue-Ann Wayow

NO hangings in Trinidad and Tobago will be taking place anytime soon.

Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar said legally, government cannot proceed with hangings.

She gave her explanations at a post cabinet media briefing on Thursday held at the Red House in Port of Spain.

Persad-Bissessar said she had asked Attorney General John Jeremie, SC, Minister of Justice Devesh Maharaj and Minister of Homeland Security Roger Alexander to investigate the possibility of the resumption of hangings, a campaign consideration.

She said, “The number of inmates on death row as at Saturday May 10, 2025 is 38. Of these 38, only 18 are eligible

to be hanged if we accept that these 18 have been sentenced to death and are yet under the five-year time line established by Pratt Morgan by the Privy Council.”

Persad-Bissessar said the other 20 were over the five-year timeline and also have appeals pending.

“In terms of how many inmates can have the death penalty carried out at this time, that is to say whom among the 18 can have it, the death warrant legally read out to be executed, unfortunately or fortunately for some, the answer is none, given the state of the law,” she said.

Of the 18 condemned inmates, one has an appeal pending before the Privy Council, the other 17 has appeals pending before the local appellate court, the prime minister said.

Persad-Bissessar said, “It can be said therefore that until these appeals are heard, the death penalty cannot lawfully be carried out at this time even amongst the 18.”

However she did say, “Should they exhaust their appeals, we will deal with that at that point in time.”

In April, while at a town hall meeting in Chaguanas, Persad-Bissessar said the resumption of hangings would have been “considered.”

The last executions in Trinidad and Tobago were carried out in 1999.

Over four days in June 1999, notorious drug lord Dole Chadee and eight of his associates -Joey Ramiah, Ramkalawan Singh, Joel Ramsingh, Russell Sankeralli, Bhagwandeen Singh, Clive Thomas, Robin Gopaul, and Stephen Eversley were hanged for the murders of four members of the Baboolal family in Williamsville.

Later that year, on  July, 28 1999, Anthony Briggs was hanged for the murder of taxi driver Siewdath Ramkissoon.

Regarding the Pratt Morgan case, Earl Pratt and Ivan Morgan were arrested on suspicion of murder in 1977. In a judgment delivered November 1993, the Privy Council ruled that a period of more than five years’ delay in carrying out a death sentence constituted cruel and inhuman punishment.