Dancehall artiste Elephant Man will have to wait until February 2, 2021 to learn his fate in the court case brought against him by the Government of Jamaica.
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 JM $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.
Elephant Man was given the new date when he appeared in the Half-Way-Tree-based court on Tuesday (November 17).
According to his lawyer, Christopher Townsend, they are still waiting to get the video footage requested of Elephant Man’s arrival in March at the Sangster International Airport in Montego Bay, St James.
“We are still traumatised because we didn’t get the footage. The police officer said up until now, he’s unable to obtain the footage from the Sangster International Airport. So we are quite concerned as to whether or not, if it was that the prosecution required it, if they would have still stalled?,” Townsend told the Jamaica Observer.
“We’re feeling a little frustrated at this point. Certainly, we would have liked to have the footage so we could have a discussion with him [Elephant Man], in relation to the matter. Now those discussions are delayed… They are promising to give us the footage on February 2, 2021,” he added.
Meanwhile, Townsend said there was no restriction on the Elephant Man’s ability to travel overseas so the case won’t affect any possible bookings. “He is very much able to travel and can take contracts from overseas,” he said.
