Bridgetown.
Andre Glenfield Payne of Lower Estate, St. George, is the first person to be charged under the Precious Metals and Second Hand Metals Act 2013 .
The store owner appeared before Magistrate Douglas Frederick in the District "A" Magistrates Court yesterdy, on a charge that between February 28 and March 11 this year, he traded as a a precious metal dealer without a licence.
Payne was not required to plead to the indictable charge that was contrary to Section 4 (1) of the new act.
The prosecutor did not object to the accused being released on bail but asked that the bail be set with a surety as determined by the court.
Magistrate Frederick set bail at $50,000. Payne the owner of Brooklyn Finest located at Roebuck Street, Bridgetown will reapear in court on May 16.
Under the new legislation which was passed in late January, anyone who operates as a precious metal dealer, without a licence is liable on conviction at the High Court to a fine of $50,000 or ten years in prison. If the offender is a business or a company, the fine is $50,000.
Meanwhile the police public relations department is again reminding persons that they must be registered if they are planning to deal with precious or second hand metals.
A register will be opened at police headquarters on Monday to deal with registration.
