The Court of First Instance (TJB) has fined 42 people, including two police officers, who were arrested on Sunday at an unlicensed karaoke bar in violation of the government’s novel coronavirus prevention and control measures, between 3,000 patacas and 6,000 patacas, according to a TJB statement on Monday.
The underground bar was operated in an industrial building on Avenida de Venceslau de Morais, during the government’s COVID-19 prevention and control measures when entertainment venues were barred to open last week.
According to the statement, among the 40 customers, 36 are local residents, while the other four are holders of either a Hong Kong ID card, Malaysian passport or a local work permit (commonly known as “blue card”). The 44 customers are aged between 16 and 43, the statement added.
The statement said that 42 of the people arrested in the bar, who met the statutory requirement of being at least 18 old, were transferred to the court for summary trial, adding that seven suspects have been fined 3,000 patacas each, while the other 33 suspects have been fined 4,500 patacas each.
The suspects also included the bar’s operator, person-in-charge and two female employees. The male operator is from Hong Kong and does not have a Macau work permit. The male person-in-charge and the two employees are residents.
Moreover, the two Public Security Police (PSP) officers caught in the bar have been fined 6,000 patacas each, the statement said.
The Public Security Police said earlier that the two police officers will also face disciplinary proceedings.
Two suspects could not be charged as they are under the age of criminal responsibility.
Meanwhile, an Indian non-local resident worker (NRW) who was arrested on Sunday in breach of the government’s COVID-19 prevention and control measures for not wearing his facemask, has been fined 1,500 patacas, the statement noted.
Separately, the Indian national faces a sexual harassment charge.
