Supreme Court power cut delays Popcaan's filing of defamation suit

A power cut Thursday at a Supreme Court building in Kingston prevented dancehall entertainer Popcaan from filing a defamation suit in relation to alleged false statements by the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) against him.

Attorney-at-Law Bert Samuels of the firm Knight, Junor & Samuels says the suit was prepared but could not be submitted because there was no electricity at the section of the courthouse that deals with those issues. 

Director, Client Services Communication and Information at the Court Administration Division, Kadiesh Jarrett-Fletcher confirmed the loss of power at a section of the building on Barry Street.

She said the provider, Jamaica Public Service Company, was called in as the problem was linked to the source of the supply.

She could not immediately say whether the filing of claims was affected. 

A senior staff at the Supreme Court said there was no electricity at the section where documents are filed.

The employee, who was not authorised to speak on the issue, said there is a generator on the building that did not trip in when the light went out. As a result, courts at that section of the courthouse had to be adjourned.

The courthouse also lost its water supply since both systems are connected.

Samuels had given the JCF an ultimatum to apologise and retract a press release issued on July 6 about Popcaan, whose real name is Andrae Sutherland.

Samuels said there's been no response from the police.  

The letter was copied to the Commissioner of Police, the police communications unit and several media houses including The Gleaner. 

“Up to 4:30 p.m. today, the offending press release had not been removed from the JCF's website," Samuels pointed out.

Head of the JCF's Corporate Communications Unit, Senior Superintendent Stephanie Lindsay said the force is not commenting on the matter. 

Samuels has contended that his client has been facing obstacles when he tries to travel to the UK and claimed the government of Jamaica placed on 'red flag' on the artiste. 

But Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade Minister Kamina Johnson Smith said the government was not involved. 

In its statement, the JCF said it had nothing to do with Popcaan's prolonged processing by immigration authorities at the Heathrow airport in London on Tuesday.

But it said Interpol, a global police body, issued a green notice which flagged the artiste's drug conviction in Barbados to international authorities. 

- Barbara Gayle

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