Liquor store owner to be charged today

The owner of a liquor store that was operating illegally during the 24-hour curfew will be brought before the courts today, Commissioner of Police Paul Rolle said yesterday.

Last week, a video made rounds on social media that purportedly depicted staff of a liquor store in masks taking orders for alcohol. A police car was parked near the establishment.

“I received that video and I immediately launched an investigation into that,” Rolle said during a press conference at the Office of the Prime Minister yesterday.

“We have the owner of that premises. He is in my custody and I will be putting him before the court tomorrow.

“I have also asked the deputy commissioner to look into the allegations pertaining to the involvement of police officers. That is an ongoing matter as well.

“And I will come back to the public as I said in my release and inform the public of my decision.”

A 24-hour curfew to stem the spread of COVID-19 has been in place for several weeks now. While some essential businesses are allowed to operate during the curfew, liquor stores are not considered essential businesses.

Despite public pleas for liquor stores to be allowed to open, Prime Minister Dr. Hubert Minnis said in Parliament last month that health officials advised that they should remain closed.

“Medical personnel feel that at this point in time all resources should be utilized to fight the common enemy that we face and that is COVID,” Minnis said.

“It is not unusual for a lot of resources to be diverted to the emergency room to deal with the effect of alcohol.”

In a statement released on Friday, police said, “The commissioner of police wished to inform the public at this present time, he has no authority to permit the sale of liquor by any establishment, nor did he sanction the presence of any police officer at any liquor licensed premises.”

As of yesterday, there were 60 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in The Bahamas and nine deaths related to the disease.

Minnis stressed yesterday that the stringent emergency orders to prevent the spread of the virus will likely have to remain in place longer if the public is not compliant.

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source https://thenassauguardian.com/2020/04/20/liquor-store-owner-to-be-charged-today/