AS OF March 31 the Kingston and St. Andrew Corporation (KSAC) will be requiring applicants for amusement licences to present valid certification for selling spirits before they can be given licences. This will apply to people renewing their licences.
The move comes in support of a police initiative to clamp down on illegal spirit sales in the Corporate Area. Speaking on Tuesday at the corporation's first meeting for the new year, Mayor of Kingston, Desmond McKenzie said while the KSAC was not responsible for issuing spirit licences, he supported the relevant authorities.
In the meantime, representatives of some Corporate Area nightclubs were found guilty for operating without spirit licences when they appeared in the Half-Way Tree Resident Magistrate's Court this week.
CLUBS FINED
The clubs - Escape 24/7, Priscilla's, The Deck and Village Café - were fined by Resident Magistrate Martin Gayle for breaches of both the Clubs Act and Spirit Licence Act.
Each fine carried a penalty of $3,000.
The manager/treasurer of Escape 24/7, Orville Bryan, was fined an additional $3,000 for aiding and abetting the sale of alcohol without a licence. Charges were withdrawn from three other employees of Escape 24/7. The judge also ruled that the confiscated liquor be returned.
On December 30 the clubs were served summonses during an ongoing police operation, led by members of the Island Special Constabulary Force (ISCF), which is aimed at regularising the system.
