SINGAPORE: A mart in Little India was fined S$5,000 (US$3,700) by a court on Tuesday (Aug 29) for repeatedly selling liquor past permitted trading hours.
Fairway Mart, located at 662 Buffalo Road, was found to have sold liquor to four people between Dec 5, 2021 and Oct 15, 2022, past 7pm on Sundays, a Saturday and a public holiday.
A representative for the mart pleaded guilty to one charge under the Liquor Control (Supply and Consumption) Act of supplying liquor beyond the stipulated hours of its liquor licence.
The court heard that Fairway Mart had a liquor licence which was valid from Nov 9, 2021 to Nov 8, 2022.
As the mart was located within a Liquor Control Zone, its stipulated trading hours are: 7am to 10.30pm every Monday to Friday, provided that day is not a public holiday or the eve of one, and 7am to 7pm every Saturday, Sunday, public holiday and eve of a public holiday.
However, the mart flouted the rules by selling alcohol to four men after stipulated hours.
The first man was detained by an auxiliary police officer for consuming alcohol on Dec 5, 2021, a Sunday. He had bought a can of Heineken beer from Fairway Mart at 7.45pm that day.
The same month, a man bought four cans of beer along with other groceries from Fairway Mart at 7.10pm. A police officer made a report that a shop was selling alcohol past permitted hours.
At 9.20pm on May 3, 2022, which was a public holiday, a man bought a can of Anchor Strong beer from Fairway Mart. A police officer reported the case, saying a subject had been detained and was refusing to give his particulars.
The fourth incident happened at about 9.35pm on Oct 15, 2022, a Saturday, when a man bought a can of Knock Out beer from Fairway Mart.
A police officer lodged a report later saying she had conducted a check on the mart and spotted an employee supplying liquor past permitted hours.
Investigations revealed that Fairway Mart used to operate as Pradeep International Trading, but lost its liquor licence under that name in 2020, after being convicted of offences under the same Liquor Control Act.
The prosecutor sought a fine between S$4,000 and S$6,000, saying Fairway Mart had been fined S$3,000 under the name Pradeep International Trading in July 2020 for similar charges.
In mitigation, the firm’s director said this incident happened during the COVID-19 period and that it “happened unknowingly”.
The company said it would not reoffend anymore.
The firm was allowed to pay the fine by Sep 12.
The maximum penalty for selling liquor past the hours stipulated in a liquor licence is a fine of up to S$10,000. Repeat offenders can face double the fine.
Other than Little India, Geylang was also designated as a Liquor Control Zone in 2015.
According to the Liquor Control (Supply and Consumption) Act, an area can be declared a liquor control zone if the related minister is satisfied that it carries a “significant risk of public disorder associated with the consumption of liquor”.