Samuels to clear Popcaan’s name
BERT Samuels, attorney-at-law representing Popcaan, says he intends to clear his client’s name amidst allegations made that he is a gang leader.
“We will be making contact with the Jamaican Government to try and clear his name about gang leader this, and gunman that,” Samuels told the Jamaica Observer yesterday afternoon.
His statement came after several tweets made by the entertainer early Wednesday morning that he was subjected to more than three hours of wait time by United Kingdom immigration officers investigating claims that he was involved in criminal activities.
“I would like to know why someone with authority in Jamaica send information to England that I’m a gang leader and I got charge with firearm. This is not cool at all from my own country. Why I have to be sitting in immigration for over 3 hours?,” the deejay, whose given name is Andre Sutherland, posted on Twitter at 2:30 am.
In a subsequent tweet, Popcaan called on Minister of Culture, Gender, Entertainment, and Sports Olivia “Babsy” Grange to intervene.
“@Babsy_grange I try to ask for your help with this before. Why people from my own country fighting Popcaan and telling lies about me and sending it to other countries?? I don’t know what cause but it needs to be off my name,” he said.
When the Observer contacted Grange, she said she had tried to make contact with the deejay, but it proved futile.
“I saw a tweet (where he mentioned me) and I reached out to him, but he hasn’t responded,” she said.
Meanwhile, Samuels said he would also like to dispel rumours circulating that his client was detained.
“He was not detained… He’s in England now. He just had to spend a very lengthy time waiting to be cleared from immigration, but we want this narrative of him being detained to stop,” the attorney-at-law stressed.
In December, dancehall entertainer Beenie Man faced similar challenges in Ghana. He spent nearly three hours in Ghanaian immigration before being allowed to board a flight to England.