In 2022, we reported on an hours-long raid at Pharmacy Express inside the Fort Street Tourism Village. Inspectors, accompanied by police, seized pharmaceutical products and ordered the closure of their operations.
Owner of Pharmacy Express Julius Zabaneh took the case to court saying that this was done without notice or without the opportunity to be heard and that the raid resulted in the closure of the businesses.
Yesterday, the High Court dismissed the constitutional claim brought by Pharmacy Express ruling that the businesses operated illegally for years without the required licenses and failed to prove any breach of their constitutional rights.
The court found that although the Ministry of Health was slow in enforcing licensing requirements, the delay did not excuse the claimants' non-compliance with the law. The court rejected claims that the pharmacies did not require licenses because they operated within the Fort Street Tourism Village.
The court ruled that no constitutional rights were breached, dismissed the claim filed on October 25, 2024, and ordered the claimants to pay the costs of the Attorney General for senior counsel and one junior counsel.
There is no word on whether they plan to appeal.
