Rick’s managers to face court today
Published:Tuesday | June 22, 2021 | 12:13 AM
WESTERN BUREAU:
Rick’s Café Negril’s Operations Manager Thomas Martin is to answer to charges in the Westmoreland Parish Court today of breaching the Disaster Risk Management Act (DRMA).
Martin is the second employee of the world-famous Jamaican attraction summoned to appear in court since the property illegally hosted the Mocha Fest party in May.
Parties have been banned because of COVID-19.
It was a late May video of revellers at Rick’s that sparked the lockdown of the venue and outrage among Jamaicans, particularly event promoters pained by the fallout from the COVID-19 outbreak.
Reports are that Martin was served on Monday by the Westmoreland police and is expected in court onTuesday at 10 a.m.
Martin’s colleague, Conroy Barrett, the financial controller at the property, is also set to appear in court.
Efforts to get a comment from the police were unsuccessful.
The latest development comes weeks after Rick’s was allegedly found operating without an updated spirits licence in addition to flouting the Tourism Product Development Company (TPDCo) COVID-19 compliance regulations.
Closed for one week by order of the Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management, Rick’s staff reportedly underwent retraining and recertification, TPDCo Chairman Ian Dear told The Gleaner recently.