Be on your best behaviour over the Carnival weekend and watch what you pick up.
Because if you are arrested on Carnival Friday you will not be able to see a magistrate until Ash Wednesday.
This according to a public notice from the Judiciary yesterday which stated that all of this country’s Magistrates’ Courts will be closed on both Carnival Monday and Tuesday.
The Magistrates’ Court will all be reopened for business as usual on Ash Wednesday.
The information was contained in a public notice titled Carnival (2019) Arrangements for Magistrates’ Courts from Court Protocol and Information Manager Carl Ansel Francis.
Guardian Media emailed Francis for further information but a response was not received up to press time on Friday.
Usually, the Magistrates’ Court makes provisions for charge cases to be heard, but this does not seem to be the case this year.
The last Public Notice for Carnival arrangements for Magistrates’ Courts found online was 2014.
In that notice, it was stated that eight of the country’s 13 Magistrates’ Courts were opened for Carnival Monday to deal specifically with charge cases.
The courts were opened from 10 am to 4 pm.
The eight Magistrates’ Courts that were opened then were St George West (Port-of-Spain), Tunapuna, Arima, Sangre Grande, Point Fortin (for matters from Siparia district also), Chaguanas, Couva and San Fernando (old Magistrates’ Court building: to handle matters from Princes Town district also).
All Magistrates’ Courts were closed on Carnival Tuesday but “at least one Magistrate and appropriate staff will be on call in all Magisterial districts throughout Trinidad and Tobago to handle matters as necessary”.
“The Tobago and Mayaro Magistrates Courts will be on call for both Carnival Monday and Tuesday. Mayaro will also handle matters from the Rio Claro district,” the 2014 notice stated.