All Charges Dropped Against San Pedro Bar Owner in Immigration Case

In a major update to a high-profile immigration case, a Magistrate today upheld a no case submission in the matter against San Pedro businessman Nelson Raynaldo Gomez, effectively dismissing all 14 charges laid against him. Gomez, the 38-year-old owner of VIP Bar located in the Emerald area of San Pedro Town, had been accused of hiring 14 undocumented Honduran women without valid employment permits. The charges followed a raid on his establishment by immigration officers and police, during which the women were taken into custody. Love News spoke with his attorney David Mckoy who explained that the evidence was insufficient on the part of immigration. 

David McKoy, Attorney: “Under the immigration act there is an offense for persons to employ illegal immigrants or persons without valid workers permits. So he was charged for fourteen counts because the police officers from the Anti Trafficking in Persons Unit went to his business establishment and found over fourteen persons inside the establishment and therefore they were of the view that these women were working for my client and subsequently they opted to hand over my client to the Immigration Department who levied the charge against my client for the fourteen counts of employing persons without a work permit or illegal immigrants. And so the prosecution was unable to prove or satisfy to the court that these persons were actually working for Mr.Gomez. Mr.Gomez has suffered immensely because of the actions of the Immigration Department to have his business license revoked. He’s not even in business right now because of those allegations which turns out now that they could not prove in court. It’s a very unfortunate event that he had to undergo that type of situation because it set him back financially but again it is over now, he is acquitted of those charges, they have not been able to satisfy the court that he is indeed guilty of employing persons who do not have valid work permit.”

Love News has come to understand that due to the case being in court, Gomez had his business license revoked.