Tommy Lee’s lawyer awaiting Dominica’s response

BY SIMONE MORGAN Observer staff reporter

 

ATTORNEY-AT-LAW Bert Samuels said he is currently awaiting a further response from the Dominican Government in relation to the deportation of his client, dancehall artiste Tommy Lee Sparta, from that Caribbean state.

In May, Samuels told the Jamaica Observer he would be filing a claim with the Trinidad and Tobago-based Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) if the Dominican Government did not start compensation negotiations.

Samuels stated yesterday that instead of filing the claim, he had sought the assistance of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade.

“We have begun preparing the file, but we decided to hold off as we didn’t want it to seem as if we were going around the diplomatic channels. Therefore, we engage the government to intervene,” said Samuels.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs had written a letter to the Dominican Government, who confirmed receiving the letter.

“This is to advise that the Government of Dominica, on 10th June 2014, acknowledged receipt of this Ministry’s correspondence. We are awaiting a further response,” the letter stated.

The 26-year-old entertainer, whose given name is Leroy Russell, along with three members of his team, was deported from that Caribbean territory on Monday, February 24, a day after their arrival.

Prior to his arrival, the Dominica Association of Evangelical Churches had called for a boycott of the artiste’s concert. The group said its concern was based on Tommy Lee Sparta’s glorification of Satan and his promotion of violence.

The entertainer and his team had journeyed to Dominica to perform at a concert in Portsmouth. They were, however, denied entry and placed in custody under inhumane conditions before being deported.

Last year, the CCJ awarded $3.6 million to Jamaican Shanique Myrie, after she was denied entry to Barbados in March 2011. The Court ruled that Myrie’s rights were breached by the Barbados Government.

Tommy Lee Sparta is known for tracks including Psycho, Nuh Fear Dem, Daddy Devil and Uncle Demon.