Court closes drinking bar and fines owner

The Abeka Sanitation and Motor Court on Wednesday ordered the closure of Sunset Pool and drinking bar at Lartebiokorshi, and fined the owner an amount of GHC1, 800 on three counts.

The manager of the spot, Bernard Smith pleaded guilty of causing excessive noise nuisance, non-compliance of notice and operating a drinking bar and swimming pool without medical and suitability certificates which carried GHC600.00 fines each or in default three months imprisonment on each count.

The court presided over by Mr Barimah Antwi also ordered the Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA) to ensure that the accused produced the necessary documents by April 29, 2013 for it to determine whether the bar should be closed down finally or not.

Prosecuting, Miss Linda Kumbonu of the AMA Public Health Department told the court that following persistent complaint by residents of Appiah Danquah a suburb of Lartebiokorshi, health officers were sent to the premises to conduct inspection.

They detected that the drinking bar and the swimming pool were operated without medical and suitability certificates which can lead to the transmission of infectious diseases like tuberculosis and typhoid.

Miss Kumbonu said on the day of the inspection, it was also realized that the accused person had been playing loud music at night to the annoyance of the residents living around the area.

She told the court that the accused activities in the area can also lead to stress, depression and other heart diseases.

She said the noise level was measured at 86.2 decibels instead of 48 decibels in residential areas as enshrined in the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) guidelines for noise making.

Miss Kumbonu said upon that the accused was served with a summons to appear in court.