Court of Appeal Rules Republic Bank Exercised Reasonable Care

Port of Spain, Trinidad, August 7, 2026: In a judgment dated August 6, 2026, the Court of Appeal of Trinidad and Tobago has overturned the High Court's earlier finding of negligence, noting that the previous judgement was ‘plainly wrong’, and affirmed Republic Bank Limited exercised reasonable care in the matter of Republic Bank Limited v. Curtis Mathura.

The proceedings arose from a claim brought by Mr. Curtis Mathura, following a criminal break-in at Republic Bank's Couva Branch over the weekend of May 29-30, 2022. During the incident, unauthorised persons gained access to the branch’s vault and several safe deposit lockers including Mr. Mathura’s locker, from which valuables were reported stolen. Mr. Mathura subsequently brought legal proceedings against the Bank for damages for his losses, alleging negligence and breach of contract in relation to the security of the Bank’s safe deposit facility.

Following a detailed review of the evidence, the Court of Appeal determined that Republic Bank implemented comprehensive security measures at the Couva Branch demonstrating its effort to exercise reasonable care.

The Court also determined that Republic Bank's employees exercised the expected ordinary care in operating the Bank's security systems and securing the premises, and that there was no evidence of negligence on their part.

The judgment highlighted that the law requires reasonable care and not infallibility. Accordingly, the Court of Appeal concluded that the Bank had met the applicable legal standard. It further ordered that Republic Bank recover its prescribed costs in the High Court and two-thirds of those prescribed costs in respect of the appeal.

President and Managing Director of Republic Bank, Mr. Nigel Baptiste noted "We welcome the Court of Appeal's decision, which confirms that Republic Bank exercised reasonable care in relation to the operation of our employee procedures and security systems. While the events at our Couva Branch in 2022 were regrettable, the Court has affirmed that the Bank acted responsibly and diligently in the circumstances." Baptiste added "Protecting our customers, employees and assets has and continues to be fundamental to our operations. Our customers can be assured that we remain committed to serving responsibly and doing all that we can to maintain the trust and confidence they have placed in us."