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A businessman held on two firearm-related charges after he was alleged to have failed to store his weapon and ammunition at a police station before leaving the country has been discharged by an Arima magistrate.

Magistrate Avion Gill, on December 8, found the businessman not guilty after she ruled that prosecutors failed to prove he held a valid firearm user’s licence and that items seized from his home met the legal definitions of a firearm and ammunition. The businessman has asked to remain anonymous because of security risks.

In her ruling, Gill said the prosecution’s case collapsed because it relied solely on the defendant’s statements and provided no scientific confirmation of the alleged Glock 17 pistol or 24 rounds of 9 mm ammunition, nor independent verification that the firearm user’s license existed.