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THE HIGH Court has ruled in favour of an international tobacco distributor operating under a free zone designation after the Ministry of Health tried to shut it down for failing to obtain the necessary licences.

Justice Frank Seepersad delivered his ruling on February 24.

The company, North American Trading Company Ltd, of the Intercontinental Business Park, Free Zone Complex in D’Abadie, operated for nearly two decades and was registered with the Free Zones Company Ltd, under the Free Zone Act, which grants approved businesses certain tax exemptions and concessions. The Free Zone Act has since been repealed and replaced by the Special Economic Zones Act No 1 of 2022.