Rowley: ARC ran afoul of the law

THE Prime Minister says the Arima Race Club (ARC) has “ran afoul of the law,” after fans were permitted to enter Santa Rosa Park for horse racing last Saturday.

Dr Rowley was responding to questions from media at a press conference at the Diplomatic Centre in St Ann’s on Saturday afternoon.

ARC president Robert Bernard has since denied fans were permitted to enter, saying only essential personnel were allowed.

But when Newsday left Santa Rosa Park at 4 pm, on Saturday, the car park was almost filled.

Since horseracing is an industry, such matters fall under Minister of Trade and Industry Paula Gopee-Scoon, who had told Newsday she passed a report to the Health Ministry on the matter.

Asked about this, Rowley said, “Outside of the protocols we put in place and the areas of activities we identified, anything else is running afoul of the law, so that’s a matter for law enforcement.”

Newsday tried to contact Bernard but all calls went unanswered.