Dancehall entertainer Elephant Man is still before the court over an alleged airport breach.
The “Pon De River, Pon De Bank” deejay, real name Oneal Bryan, is charged with breaching Section 8 (5) of the Immigration Act; which mandates people arriving in Jamaica to make a truthful declaration to immigration personnel. The fine, according to precedent, is JMD $100.
Law Enforcement officers says Elephant Man and his team reportedly toured Europe but did not declare the countries visited on arrival at the Montego bay-based airport, which is an immigration requirement.
At the time, the Jamaican Government had put in place safety measures at ports of entry should persons who travelled outside the country contract COVID-19.
The Energy Gad is set to return to the the Kingston & St Andrew Parish Court in Half-Way-Tree on November 17.
Elephant Man’s lawyer, Christopher Townsend says he is hoping video footage from the deejay’s arrival at Sangster International Airport in early March will be available to him.
“We are now questioning why the footage is taking so long. It should have been readily available because a lot of time has passed. Why should it take so long? And we’re hoping that the footage we get is authentic. They had promised us we would have gotten it before the [recent] court date or on the day of court,” the attorney-at-law told the Jamaica Observer.
“The footage is not a lot. They have the date; they had the time, so it shouldn’t be difficult. The fact that it is taking so long is now giving us cause for suspicion. The footage is very important and from what my client tells me and what the report is saying, it’s not the same thing. So what would clear it up in a significant way is the footage,” he continued.
Townsend added that his client remains “hopeful” and is playing his part in the COVID-19 fight.
“He has done several releases in relation to the pandemic that we are now going through, and he’s supportive of the Government’s policies of wearing your mask, sanitising and maintaining social distance. He is one of the flagship artistes in getting across the message to everyone, so he is playing his part to take us out of this pandemic,” said Townsend.
