Sigh of relief as restaurant supervisor acquitted of health violation claims

TDT | Manama     

The Daily Tribune – www.newsofbahrain.com

A restaurant supervisor has been acquitted of violating health regulations after a court found that he was not responsible for ensuring the restaurant met the required standards.

The supervisor, who was not named in the court documents, was accused of violating health regulations after a health inspector found several violations at the restaurant.

The supervisor had promised the inspector that he would remove the violations, but he was surprised to be charged with the offense despite not being the owner or manager of the restaurant.

The supervisor’s lawyer argued that her client had no connection to the restaurant and was not responsible for its management.

She pointed out that the restaurant was not registered in his name and that he was not authorized to manage it.

The court agreed with the lawyer’s argument, noting that the supervisor was only responsible for the employees and their organisation.

The court found that the observed violations were the responsibility of the owner or the person authorised by the owner to manage the restaurant and ensure it met all health and legal requirements.

Evidence

The court also noted that the actual owner of the restaurant had acknowledged to the health department that he was authorised to manage the restaurant since 2015 and had submitted evidence that all violations had been removed and had requested the issuance of a health certificate.

Based on this evidence, the court ruled that the supervisor was not responsible for the violations and acquitted him of the charges.

The court emphasised that the responsibility for ensuring compliance with health regulations lies with the owner or the person authorised by the owner to manage the restaurant.