Bail for Couva bar owner charged with operating a bar during covid19 lockdown

Bar owner Daryl Sirju charged for running his business in breach of the Public Health Ordinance regulations. -
Bar owner Daryl Sirju charged for running his business in breach of the Public Health Ordinance regulations. -

COUVA bar owner Daryl Sirju was on Tuesday granted his own bail in the sum of $25,000 on a charge that he was caught operating his business in breach of the public health regulations which shut down bars, casinos, restaurants and cinemas in response to the covid19 pandemic.

Sirju was granted bail by magistrate Christine Charles.

Tuesday’s hearing was done by video conferencing using the Zoom software platform. Sirju’s attorney was at his law chambers in Port of Spain and the police prosecutor at the Couva police station where Sirju was being held.

The use of video conferencing technology is one of the measures put in place by the Judiciary which has ordered the closure of all court buildings until Wednesday midnight.

After the charge was read to him, Sirju pleaded not guilty.

He will return to court on May 25.

In a release on Saturday, police said Sirju, 29, was arrested and charged after he was caught operating his bar at Southern Main Road, California, on Friday night.

The release said police received information at its operations command centre, and when officers went to the bar, they allegedly found it open for business and sales were being done.

Sirju was arrested and charged by PC Ramlochan for breach of the Regulations of the Public Health Act.

Under the Public Health (2019 Novel Coronavirus (2019-Cov) Regulations, it is an offence for anyone to conduct the business of a bar, whether or not the person is a licensed person under the Liquor Licences Act.

If found guilty, the penalty for breaching the regulation is imprisonment for six months.

Lalla condemned the police’s release of his client’s name and photograph.

“It was wrong for the police to plaster my client’s photograph all over social media and in the media because he is innocent and has the evidence to prove it.

“It is totally unacceptable for police officers to cause pre-trial publicity in this manner even before my client is brought before any judicial authority,” he said.

Also appearing with Lalla for Sirju is attorney Vashisht Seepersad.

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"Bail for Couva bar owner charged with operating a bar during covid19 lockdown"

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