Popcaan Demands Apology, Damages From JCF Over “Defamatory” Press Release

The law firm Knight, Junor & Samuels, which represents Dancehall artist Popcaan, will file a defamation lawsuit against the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) in the Supreme Court at 1 p.m. today if its demand for a retraction, an apology and the negotiation of damages are not met.

The law firm said they were seeking damages in keeping with Popcaan’s station in life, both locally and internationally.

“We will be filing the libel suit today in the Supreme Court,” the attorney-at-law Bert Samuels told DancehallMag today.

In the demand letter sent to the JCF, dated today (July 7), the law firm, on behalf of Popcaan, requested a retraction, an apology, and negotiation of unspecified damages by 12 p.m. today, over a release issued by the local police organization on Wednesday.

The release alleged that the International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol) had issued a green notice alerting authorities to a drug-related arrest and conviction and that this may have led to the immigration issues faced by Popcaan in the United Kingdom.

According to the JCF, Popcaan was convicted in 2009 in Barbados for possession of marijuana and subsequently deported to Jamaica. He was again arrested in Barbados in 2011 for possession of cocaine, the JCF claimed.

However, Samuels unleashed a bombshell revelation today, alleging that the JCF erred when it revealed the ganja conviction.  “The reference in the press release to Popcaan’s ganja conviction is a criminal offense. We have them on the cocaine (arrest) and the ganja (conviction),” Samuels said.

In their letter, the law firm described the JCF’s conduct as “reprehensible”.

“Be minded that your conduct has been reprehensible in incorrectly attributing such a scandalous accusation against Mr Sutherland, a well-known international artiste,” it read.

It continued, “By virtue of your actions, it is our view, that ordinary, intelligent and unbiased persons, with the ordinary person’s general knowledge and experience of worldly affairs, would be likely to understand those words as conveying that our client was involved in egregious criminal activities contrary to the Drug Abuse (Prevention and Control) Act of Barbados.”

Samuels called the allegations an “entire falsehood” concocted by the Jamaica Constabulary Force to “push back against allegations that the Jamaican government had put a red flag against Popcaan’s name”.

On Tuesday afternoon, Popcaan took to Instagram to announce that once again he had been detained by immigration officers at an airport in the UK.    He tagged Prime Minister Andrew Holness while calling for a resolution.

According to Information Minister Robert Nesta Morgan, Holness has since asked National Security Minister Dr. Horace Chang and Commission of Police Major General Antony Anderson to review Popcaan’s situation “with a view to helping facilitate his ease of travel as an entertainer.”