A bar owner was today sentenced to 15 years in prison for human trafficking, when she appeared before Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts.
Savita Persaud, owner of the Liquid Love Bar, was found guilty of trafficking two Venezuelan women and as an additional consequence she was also ordered to pay over $2.5 million in compensation to the victims.
The trial was held in-camera and Persaud was represented by Attorney-at-Law George Thomas.
The charge had stated that between January 31 and March 8, 2019, at Station Street, Kitty, Georgetown she recruited, transported and harboured two female Venezuelans for sexual exploitation. One of the victims was a minor.
The Chief Magistrate sentenced Persaud to serve 10 years imprisonment for trafficking the underage girl and five years for trafficking the adult female.
In addition, Persaud was sentenced to 12 months imprisonment and fined $1.1 million.
The sentences will run concurrently. Furthermore, she was ordered to pay $2.3M to the underage victim and $2.2M to the other Venezuelan woman.
She was also jailed on two counts of employing a 17-year-old child on a premises that sells intoxicating liquor and confiscating the Venezuelan women’s immigration documents for the purpose of trafficking. (Story by Oma Pierre)
