Popcaan’s lawyer asks for apology and withdrawal of JCF statement
Published:Thursday | July 7, 2022 | 12:09 AMStephanie Lyew/Gleaner Writer
Attorney Bert Samuels is calling the Jamaican Constabulary Force’s (JCF) most recent statement about his client Popcaan “slanderous”.
A statement from the JCF, released on Wednesday, stated that Popcaan, whose given name is Andre Sutherland, was convicted in Barbados for possession of marijuana and subsequently deported to Jamaica in 2009 and then two years later, was arrested in Barbados for possession of cocaine. The lawyer is asking that an apology be made to his client publicly.
Samuels told The Gleaner that the only charges were for marijuana and that those were expunged.
“He [Popcaan] has never been charged, tried, or arrested for cocaine in Barbados or any other country in the world. It is a total falsehood!” Samuels exclaimed.
Expungement is essentially having a charge removed from one’s criminal or police record after some time has passed and after meeting certain requirements, he explained, “and Popcaan has returned twice to Barbados to perform since then”.
GREEN NOTICE
The JCF’s statement was issued to explain the reasons for the dancehall entertainer’s recent detainment by immigration in the United Kingdom on Tuesday.
According to the release, a green notice was generated by Interpol arising from arrests in Barbados. The green notice was then reconfirmed by Interpol in 2018. A Green Notice provides Interpol members with a warning about a traveller’s potential criminal activities, where the person may be considered a threat to public safety. It also stated that no stop order was placed on the artiste by the Government of Jamaica.
Popcaan called on Prime Minister Andrew Holness via social media after he was subjected to three and a half hours of interrogation by immigration personnel at Heathrow Airport. He was later allowed entry into the country but has bemoaned that he feels that the Government of Jamaica and his country have turned against him.
Robert Nesta Morgan, minister without portfolio with responsibility for information in the Office of the Prime Minister, made an announcement on Twitter on Wednesday that Holness was briefed on the situation involving Popcaan and that action is being taken.
“He (Holness) has spoken to the minister of national security and the commissioner of police to review his situation with a view to helping facilitate his ease of travel as an entertainer,” Morgan tweeted.