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Sep 06, 2008 News
Chief Justice, Ian Chang, has granted businesswoman Johanna Lopez, who is charged with unlawful possession of ammunition, bail in the sum of $100,000 with surety in like sum. This occurred during a bail hearing last Friday.
Lopez, 46, of District 3, Kurupung, Region No. 7, was charged jointly with her common-law partner, Philbert James, for unlawful possession of two .22 and three .32 rounds of ammunition on August 19.
She appeared in the Georgetown Magistrates’ Court before Magistrate Hazel Octive-Hamilton where she pleaded not guilty to the offences.
Lopez, a mother of two, was remanded to prison despite a bail application by her lawyer Anil Nandlall.
Nandlall subsequently moved to the High Court seeking bail for his client.
A petition with accompanying affidavit in support was filed by Lopez’s sister-in-law, Indira Sahadeo.
According to the petition, Lopez is a prominent and respected businesswoman and community leader in the Kurupung area; she owns and operates a hotel, along with a wholesale grocery store and liquor restaurant, both of which are housed at the same premises, and she lives in one of the apartments at the said hotel.
It added that Lopez is also a licensed diamond dealer and trades in large quantities of diamonds.
“Prior to the incident out of which these charges resulted, Johanna Lopez never had any conflict with the law,” the petition stated.
According to the court document, Lopez and Philbert James have had a common-law relationship for the past four months.
“I am aware that the relationship has been a turbulent one. I am informed by Johanna Lopez and do verily believe that: over the last two weeks she has experienced tremendous problems and abuse in the said common-law relationship,” Sahadeo contended.
As a result, the petition added, both parties decided to end the relationship and in fact on the 20th August, 2008, Philbert James was scheduled to leave Kurupung by air.
“On the day in question, that is, on the 19th day of August, 2008, another fight broke out between the parties over certain financial issues; as a result, Johanna Lopez called in the Police and when the Police arrived Philbert James as he was being escorted away handed the Police two (2) of the bullets which are the subject of one (1) of the charges; Johanna Lopez remained in the said apartment.”
It stated that a few hours thereafter, the Police returned, conducted a search of Johanna Lopez apartment and found the other three (3) bullets hidden on a shelf containing a quantity of various different items.
“Johanna Lopez maintains most resolutely that she does not own and did not possess the said bullets and was not even aware that they were in her apartment and indeed if she knew about them she could have easily removed them before the Police returned; that the said apartment in which the bullets were found is rented regularly to various persons working or traversing the Kurupung area.”
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