A bench warrant has been issued for the arrest of Andre Solomon, a Trinidad and Tobago national, after he failed to appear in court on multiple cannabis-related charges.
The magistrate ordered the warrant on Tuesday when neither Solomon nor his attorney attended the scheduled hearing.
Solomon faces charges linked to police raids carried out earlier this year at properties in Pares and Parham. Officers say they seized nearly 192 grams of cannabis, more than two pounds of processed marijuana and 790 cannabis plants. Further charges were laid after an additional search at a Hodges Bay property a week later, where another four-and-a-half pounds of cannabis were allegedly found.
He had been granted bail of $50,000, with a $5,000 cash component, and was required to report regularly to police and Immigration. Solomon was in the country on a visitor’s permit, which expired in July last year.
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This case raises serious questions about how immigration status is monitored when someone is charged with major offences. A visitor’s permit expired last year, yet he remained in the country and was granted bail.
Failing to appear in court on charges of this magnitude shows a complete disregard for the legal system. When someone is granted bail, especially on serious drug-related offences, the expectation is simple: comply with the conditions and show up when required.
The fact that neither the accused nor his attorney showed up raises serious red flags. Even if there was a legitimate reason, the court should have been informed ahead of time.
I hope authorities also review whether bail conditions were being properly enforced. Reporting twice weekly and checking in with Immigration sounds good on paper, but clearly something went wrong.
False news….. the man is present… don’t you guys ever do fact check? Make sure things are true before publishing and tarnishing people’s name