THE Court of Appeal has overturned a High Court finding of negligence against Republic Bank Ltd in a case arising from a 2022 break-in at its Couva branch, ruling that the bank had exercised reasonable care in securing its premises and safe deposit facilities.

In a judgment dated August 6, 2026, the Court of Appeal found that the High Court’s earlier judgment was “plainly wrong” and affirmed that Republic Bank had met the applicable legal standard of reasonable care in the circumstances.

The proceedings stemmed from a claim brought by Curtis Mathura following a criminal break-in at Republic Bank’s Couva branch over the weekend of May 29-30, 2022.