Dana Saroop Seetahal SC (July 8, 1955 – May 4, 2014) was an Independent Senator in the

Trinidad and Tobago Trinidad and Tobago (, ), officially the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, is the southernmost island country in the Caribbean. Consisting of the main islands Trinidad and Tobago, and numerous much smaller islands, it is situated south of ...

Senate. She was an attorney at law in private practice and was formerly a lecturer at the

Hugh Wooding Law School The Hugh Wooding Law School (HWLS) is a law school in Trinidad and Tobago. History Named for Trinidad and Tobago jurist and politician Hugh Wooding, HWLS is one of three law schools empowered by the (Caribbean) Council of Legal Education to award ...

, Trinidad and Tobago, where she held the position of Course Director in Criminal Practice and Procedure. She was

assassinated Assassination is the murder of a prominent or important person, such as a head of state, head of government, politician, world leader, member of a royal family or CEO. The murder of a celebrity, activist, or artist, though they may not have a ...

Port of Spain Port of Spain (Spanish: ''Puerto España''), officially the City of Port of Spain (also stylized Port-of-Spain), is the capital of Trinidad and Tobago and the third largest municipality, after Chaguanas and San Fernando. The city has a municip ...

on May 4, 2014.

Life

Dana Saroop Seetahal was born on July 8, 1955, in Trinidad and Tobago. She was the eighth of eleven children born to Latchman and Sarjudeya Saroop Seetahal who were of

Indian Indian or Indians may refer to: Peoples South Asia * Indian people, people of Indian nationality, or people who have an Indian ancestor ** Non-resident Indian, a citizen of India who has temporarily emigrated to another country * South Asia ...

descent. She attended primary school in El Dorado Village, Tunapuna opposite Aramalaya Presbyterian Church. In 1965 she won a scholarship to attend

Bishop Anstey High School Bishop Anstey High School (BAHS), also known as Bishop Anstey or St. Hilary's, is a government-assisted all-girls secondary school in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago. It was founded by the Anglican Bishop Arthur Henry Anstey and opened on Jan ...

in Port of Spain. In 1973 she went on to University and received a Bachelor of Laws from the

University of the West Indies The University of the West Indies (UWI), originally University College of the West Indies, is a public university system established to serve the higher education needs of the residents of 17 English-speaking countries and territories in th ...

. In 1977 she attended

. She graduated and was called to the bar in 1979. After graduating she worked in the Solicitor General's Department, Magistrate, State Prosecutor, Private Practice in Justitia Omnibus. In 2002 she was appointed an Independent Senator in the

Parliament of Trinidad and Tobago The Parliament of Trinidad and Tobago is the legislative branch of the Government of Trinidad and Tobago. The Parliament is bicameral. Besides the President of Trinidad and Tobago, it is composed of the House of Representatives, which is compose ...

. She was awarded the status of 'Senior Counsel' in 2006.

Education

Career

After passing the bar Dana Seetahal worked as a State Prosecutor from 1980 to 1987. She prosecuted cases in the magistrates’ courts and later in the High Court. She performed as a Magistrate for one year from 1987 to 1988 but preferred prosecuting. As a magistrate she tried chiefly criminal cases at the summary level and presided at Juvenile Court. Acted as a coroner in inquests and conducted preliminary inquiries in indictable trials. In 1988 she returned as a Senior State Prosecutor and from 1988 to 1991 she acted as assistant director of Public Prosecutions (DPP). She prosecuted indictable cases (felonies) at the High Court and appeared for the State in criminal matters at the Court of Appeal. Advised the Police and other government departments on criminal matters. Lectured to the police, state and non-governmental organizations, such as Rotary Clubs. She became a Course Director and Senior Lecturer at Hugh Wooding Law School from 1995 to 2007. She taught and did research in the courses of Criminal Practice & Procedure, the Law of Evidence for ten Caribbean jurisdictions & Legal Drafting. She was first appointed to Parliament in April 2002 as an Independent Senator in the 7th Republican Parliament. She was again appointed an Independent Senator in the 8th and 9th Parliaments (October 2002 to April 2010). She was not re-appointed to the 10th Parliament. In January 2006 she was made a

Senior Counsel The title of Senior Counsel or State Counsel (post-nominal letters: SC) is given to a senior lawyer in some countries that were formerly part of the British Empire. "Senior Counsel" is used in current or former Commonwealth countries or jurisdicti ...

("took silk"). Her first contribution in the Senate was on The Appropriation Bill, 2003 on October 28, 2002. As a Senior Counsel in Private Practice she acted as Defence counsel appearing in criminal appellate and trial cases, Special Prosecutor for the State in a variety of matters, public law matters, consultancies in criminal matters, negotiation. In 2008 she opened her own private chambers "El Dorado Chambers" located in Port of Spain, Trinidad, comprising 3 other lawyers and students. She wrote a weekly column for the Saturday Express, having previously written for "The Guardian", both local newspaper in Trinidad and Tobago.

Awards and honours

Works

Her first book the'Commonwealth Caribbean on Criminal Procedure' is the first of its kind to be published. Its credibility is supported not only by her theoretical knowledge, but also her practical knowledge earned over twenty years of experience in the field: as a prosecutor for over a dozen years, as a magistrate, as a criminologist, a criminal justice consultant and finally as a law school lecturer. "This book fills a lacuna in Commonwealth Caribbean jurisprudence in that there is currently no local or regional text on criminal practice and procedure. The content of the book includes both the statute law and common law on criminal practice and procedure in most of the relevant jurisdictions, which include Trinidad Tobago, Guyana, Barbados, Jamaica and Grenada among others." "Revised throughout, this new edition addresses the recent changes in law in St Lucia and the Bahamas bringing this popular text right up-to-date. Although written for law students, as the only book which deals specifically with criminal practice and procedure in the Caribbean, it is also a useful reference tool for criminal justice professionals."http://www.routledge.com/books/Commonwealth-Caribbean-Criminal-Practice-and-Procedure-ISBN 978-1-85941-974-8 The third edition of this book was released in July 2010, and contains a new chapter on extradition. Regional Issues of Justice and Governance- Ambassador Colin Granderson and Miss Dana Seetahal.

Publications

*Report on Reform of the Criminal Law and Criminal Procedure: Saint Lucia: November 1999 – March 2000 (For the Government of Saint Lucia) *The Lawyer (Journal of the Law Association of Trinidad & Tobago), March 2001: The Impact of Procedure on Advocacy. Recent Changes in the law in Trinidad and Tobago *Caribbean Journal of Criminology and Social Psychology, January 2000: Pre-trial Publicity and a Fair Trial *Can A Juror Change Her Mind? Bench and Bar of Minnesota, Official Publication of Minnesota State Bar Association, March 1999 *The Criminologist, Winter 1998: The effects of Urbanization and Industrialization on Crime: The Commonwealth Caribbean in the 1990s *The Criminal Lawyer, (English Newsletter published by Butterworths) September 1998: Do you wish to retire? *The Lawyer 2005: Child Murderers *The Lawyer, April 1998: HIV/AIDS and Criminal Liability *Caribbean Journal of Criminology and Social Psychology, January 1996:Plea Bargaining in the Caribbean *The Education Act in Cultural Diversity, Politics, Education and Society, 1995, edited book, University of the West Indies *The Lawyer, January 1994: The Jury, Tobago or Trinidad? *The Lawyer, January, 1993: Towards a better future in Corrections: Sentencing Alternatives *The Lawyer, July 1992: Whiteman and the Admissibility of confessions

Consultancies and special projects

* Consultant, UNIFEM: "Review of Policing and Prosecution of Sexual Offences in St Lucia: May 2009 * Consultant and Trainer, National Insurance Board, NIPDEC House: 3-day Workshop: Training in Investigation for Compliance Officers: July 2009 * Consultant and Trainer, Police Service: Advanced Police Prosecutors Course (2): October–December 2007 * Contracted as Special Prosecutor, Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions, to represent the State in criminal appeals: March 2004 – present * Consultant to the Government of Saint Lucia: Reform of the Criminal law and Procedure of Saint Lucia, August 1999 – Present. Report submitted November 1999; Laid in Cabinet, January 2000

Death

On May 4, 2014, at 12:05am, Seetahal was assassinated while driving her Volkswagen Touareg SUV in the vicinity of the Woodbrook Youth Club, Port of Spain, Trinidad. She was shot five times. On July 24, 2015, 11 men were arrested and charged with her murder.

References

External links

Contribution to Caribbean Journal of Criminilogy and Social Psychology
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Senate of Trinidad and Tobago The Senate of Trinidad and Tobago is the appointed upper house of the bicameral Parliament of Trinidad and Tobago, along with the President and House of Representatives of Trinidad and Tobago. The Senate currently sits at the Red House. The Senat ...