Attorney General Levi Peter has shot down claims that controversial Jamaican Dancehall artiste, Tommy Lee Sparta, has won his case against Dominica and will be receiving a cash settlement in the matter.
Some days ago, several online publications on the matter suggested that Tommy Lee had won and will be getting a cash settlement. The publications went viral and were widely discussed on social media.
But speaking at a press conference on Friday, Peter said the publications got it all wrong.
“If there was a settlement, I would know,” he said. “There is no settlement as I speak to you with Tommy Lee Sparta.”
He said there are ongoing discussions between legal representatives of the artiste and the government of Dominica which are being conducted through the chambers of the Attorney General in Jamaica.
The online publications also suggested that Tommy Lee would be receiving US$3-million from Dominica.
However, the Attorney General also said that too is not true.
“I can say to that, categorically, that is inaccurate, incorrect and from where I sit, on instructions I have on behalf of the government at the moment, there will be no settlement in the sum of $3-million,” he stated. “But to put it simply, there is no settlement at this point in that matter. There are ongoing discussions.”
Tommy Lee, whose real name is Leroy Russell, was to perform at a concert in February 2014 in Portsmouth, organized by Cabral Douglas, however, organizations, such as the Dominica Association of Evangelical Churches denounced the artiste’s appearance saying his music glorifies Satan and promotes lawlessness and violence.
On his arrival in Dominica, Tommy Lee, 26, along with his three-member team, Tiasha Oralie Russell, Junior Fraser and Mario Christopher Wallace were denied entry, detained and deported the following day.
The government of Dominica said its action was based in the interest of public safety.
Tommy Lee responded with a US$3-million lawsuit saying that his rights were infringed based on the Treaty of Chaguaramas, which governs CARICOM member states. The treaty says that member states should commit themselves to the goal of free movement of their nationals within the community.
Meanwhile Douglas has demanded US$3-million from the government in compensation in the matter. However, the demand was turned down.
He then went to the Trinidad-based Caribbean Court of Justice which has reserved judgement in the matter.
Smh and dno posted the article sometime ago saying that he was getting the 3 mill settlement. I wonder if dno would even let this comment be posted. Screenshoting this just in case.
ADMIN: We never reported that he was getting the $3-million. We reported that Tommy Lee got a monetary offer to settle the matter, based on an interview done with his lawyer, on a Jamaican radio station. His lawyer said they were considering the offer. So we are not sure where you got the info that the matter was settled. The link to the story is below.
https://dominicanewsonline.com/news/homepage/news/crime-court-law/tommy-lee-sparta-gets-monetary-offer-from-dominica/
Everybody already knows tommy lee is going to win his case , I mean yes his lyrics are some what devilish but they had other develic artist perform in dominica and hello we have devils living right here among us .
Dominica have a right to allowed who should enter their Country.
Every country have a right who Can enter their Land,
And have a law for everyone
The government will have to settle one way or the other and unlike which occurs in Dominica with cases against this government languishing in that one there is no technicality they can cook up. In other words no chance for indefinite details through judicial review; look at the fire bombing Gon Emmanuel case and the case against Isidore spanning 42 charges; the case,against Sjerrit IPo and against Ian all being facilitated by delays through the lazy manipulated courts in Dominica. Government does not have that same luxury with the CCJ at least not yet I hope.
The government of Dominica should not pay Tommy Lee sparta one black cent, Mr Lee knew he was not wellcome but he went against the government rules because of greed, Now i know if that was a Dominican person or performer and Jamaica government said he/she is not wellcome and you set foot on their soiled he/she would end up in a rat hole jail and not given a penny, Douglas and Tommy Lee, taking the piss out of Dominicans, Mr Lee if you looking for money it’s best to sue Douglas or better yet go to hell
Before you type nonsense, you should research to make sure what yoh talking about is in fact factual.
The man contracted with Douglas to perform in Dominica, at the Arbeedee Cinema in Portsmouth and both Douglas and Tommy Lee and his entourage are suing the Government, not just Tommy Lee.
They should be suing Jamaica for allowing Tommy Lee to hold a passport and travel abroad.
He was one of them and did not behave as a Jamaican should be required to behave. Did he qualify for a passport? Good grief!
Sincerely, Rev. Donald Hill.
for those evangelicals who protested and let skerro behave rashly, i am not a fan of music portraying devilish vibes, but i have one question to you all….. what is the difference between his music and hanging a Christmas tree full of decorations in your home during the winter solstice.
There is no comparison.
A Christmas tree does not promote drugs, devil worship, rape, fornication, or suicide. It is not destroying our youth.
The evergreen tree serves to remind us of that Christ does not and will not change. We do not worship the tree.
Evangelicals do not let the P.M. behave rashly. They are not responsible for all he says and does while he is in office. He has the right to act within the boundaries of his constitutional authority.
Sincerely, Rev. Donald Hill.
rev. pastor and priest are all bought by skerrit,,, when things are at its worst and there is wrong in high places, you all remain silent, and we all know silence is consent, as for the Christmas tree, it is a common tool for idol in the past which is now blended with Christianity, it can do no good nor it can do harm, I do not follow the ways of them……
from what i see in dominica, politicians, evangelical, pastors and priest are in the same boat…. speak of the wrongs in every place and be counted.
the comparison, wrong is wrong and right is right…. you cannot worship god and pactice paganism.
cha man
You guys violated……..Pay the man……..
My fellow Dominicans do u all research any caricom country can deny entry to another caricom citizen entry if that person pose a risk to the host country stability and security. An my Dominicans stop being so bias we are looked down on by most of the bigger islands. When we Visit they screwtanize us so Dan much, why he didn’t sue when he was deny entry elsewhere. U won’t find a ja person to say nothing about jamila that bad time to u night as one stop be crabs in a barrel
If this government can not even negotiate a settlement with Tommy Lee and Cabral Douglas with their army of lawyers, how can they possibly be competent to negotiate deals with China, Venezuela, the World Bank and/or other international bodies!!! How could this government even honor their obligations in CARICOM if they need Tommy Lee to explain their obligations to them….The is the most incompetent government in the Caribbean by far, they continue to make Dominicans look like fools!!!
It is so sad how Dominicans continue to be their own worst enemy because those who do not support the government want everything bad to happen to the country.
How does the UWP expect to win over non-uwp supports to ever win an election when they show us time and time again that they would take anybody side over ours. Why would any Dominica be happy for this even before they know for sure and that they are sending around false news to try and encourage others to make Dominica pay.
Bondieu ki sa yor fere nous that we would throw away the baby with the bath water with DA being the baby; when the Government pays we all pay. We don’t see that? There is no green, blue or red, just Dominica. The money would be better spent on our social programs but no; some Dominicans believe it will come from someone pocket and not theirs. You would think after the 60 Minutes program we would have all learnt. But no we believe we are sticking it to others and not ourselves.
Is Skerrit that sign up to the CCJ, he did not consult the people, so is he that has to accept their verdict and don’t complain about it when it goes against him. Unfortunately it are the ppoor taxpayers of Dominica that have to foot the bill, win or lose.
The people are the ones who through their actions should have showed Tommy that he wasn’t wanted and not the other way around. If someone’s music offends boycott then the organisers would get the message but you the government have no right to kick a Caribbean national out. Stop being hypocrites. if the people go to the show then they want the music.
Government and church should not mix. So who now is having the problem to pay. Church who forced government hand or government?
This was badly handled. Government should have told the artiste that he was not welcome to perform here before letting him fly to Dominica and then bar him from entering the country and locking him up for the night. If Caricom means anything at all this should not have happened
“He said there are ongoing discussions between legal representatives of the artiste and the government of Dominica which are being conducted through the chambers of the Attorney General in Jamaica.” This statement says that there hasn’t been a settlement yet, but there will be one. That’s my take from this, the fact that the AG said that they are in discussions.
#OneLoveDominicans!
Tommy Lee decided to swing for the fences with that US$3 mil lawsuit. I’m not a fan of his but he should win and it should come out of the PM’s pocket since he gave the go ahead for such a dumb move. Unfortunately, we all know the tax payers are gonna pay for this.
You are a very sick individual; if you are suggesting that this guy should have the power, to come to Dominica, and broke our nation immigration law’s and when he got deported, he has the right to sue the nation, sue you; and get three million dollars for breaking then you have to be a very shallow person.
You are so dumb you want that jackass to get US$3,000,000.00 dollars, let me show you approximately how much, East Caribbean dollars the poor taxpayer of Dominica would have to pay that guy.
Try this on for size it would cost Dominica taxpayer EC$8,100,000.00 dollars, you see how ignorant you are? Even if I blame Skerrit for entering an agreement not knowing what the hell he was doing resulting in this, I still say they should not pay one dime to that thug, ours is a sovereign State, and have the right to refuse anyone entry into Dominica, I was born in Dominica, now American citizen, if they refuse me entry to go home in Wesley there is nothing I can do? Squat doodle!…
This would have been the ideal thing really.However in this poor backward country,it will be the taxpayers to foot the cost…Remember it was election year,so whatever this particular group told him to do he would do…just to stay in power…It’s not about Dominica anymore.
If that’s the case AG, then who should we believe? You know that there’s a credible problem with your PM. In fact let me say bluntly, the credibility from of government is near zero.
Boy look a coonoomoonoo Government, couldn’t pay Dominicans for their land they took from them,but look now tommy have them by their balls
Oh yes! Do not be presumptuous. Wait and see. Tommy wants to get rich. He sees a leeway and wants to take advantage of it. Time will tell.
Why should Tommy Lee Sparta get a cent from D/ca? He knew he was not welcomed.
The concert was organized by Cabral Douglas and whoever else. They knew the situation but they encouraged him to come to D/ca to perform.
If there is anyone to pay T.L.S., it is Cabral Douglas and his gang who continued to encourage him.
They may have paid T.L.S. a down payment. Well, let him take that. They should pay the rest; not the Government of D/ca.
I think this man was well-treated. What did he expect when he was detained, a five-star hotel? Common man! Cease your persecution of our Government. No money should be forthcoming. Anyone who has sense should comprehend that.
All types of (immoral and satanic) people should not be invited to perform in D/ca. Keep D/ca Christian and clean. It already has its domestic problems to change/eradicate. You were not welcomed! Make no more problems for D/ca and its Government.
Lord! You who see everything, please put a hand.
I’m against the demonic stuff he was talking about but most D/cans need to realize that it was just his dumb gimmick at that time. I agree with the church protesting because they have a right to but the law is the law, the gov’t had no right to do what they did, then try to cover it up with a weak excuse.
We all have our opinions and beliefs when it comes to certain ideologies (trust me, I burn fire on Tommy Lee music too) but we have to be logical.
The worst thing that can happen to a fool is for them to realize that they are the last one to know that they are a confounded fool you know!
If you believe the government has no right to deport a foreigner who violated the law’s of the country, you are not only a jackass; you are walking on you pea brain, your brain is under your feet, and you were born upside down!
Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha!
I do not know why your umbilical cord did not wrap around your stupid neck and choke you to death! You should be hung before you were born!
you are reading that right. If they are negotiating it means that they want to settle on a smaller sum than Tommy Lee asked for. and when they finally agree a sum less than $3 million they pat themselves on the back and say “well done” and call it a success, wait and see.
That had nothing to do with keeping Dominica “christian and clean”. Some stupid people (like you) didn’t want the man to perform because you have something against his music so they put pressure on a government desperate for votes to act in a certain way. An example needs to be made out of this situation because if this goes on unpunished it will set a dangerous precedent that anybody with the power to sway a large enough block of the electorate can persuade the government to heel to its wishes.
My only wish is that the money comes from the people who orchestrated this and the ones that gave the go ahead. Unfortunately if he wins his case the money will come out of the public purse.
where was you good friend mr know it all in LAW to tell your young pm and his boys that was not the right move to make on the black man when all these church people KIDS in Dominica plays his songs every day at there homes and in there cares in and out of school this gov need to stop pleasing one set of DOM-IN-CANS but again all that will come to and end
I never know we still have stupid ppl so…the man have rights to come to the country just like any normal person..they had no right to detain him and his crew..and he di right sue them for embarrassing him like that and the man not satanic his songs was for him to buss but u won’t understand that cuz u don’t know about music next time u speak think first and all the money Douglas lost ofcourse someone has to pay for it
With due respects, You seriously need to purge your brains of this archaic thinking…The man is an island man and his passport protects him from folks like you with your backwardness…please leave the prehistoric days and join a universe where there is right to free speech and movement.. The real truth is that the Country will forever remain stuck in never land courtesy of your fettered mind.
Cabral Douglas is also suing the Government of Dominica!!!
No settlement. ..yet. still in negotiations simply means the details are not YET finalized. Tommy Lee Sparta will eventually get his money!!!!
where a the DOM-IN-CANS that gets happy when Linton has to pay the courts for nothing what gos around will come around its just time well agoin more passports a for sale
Some feel Jamaica owes an apology to Dominica for the fact that Tommy Lee was even on the loose and able to make trouble in Dominica. Jamaica ought to have reigned this man in before that. One wonders if it should not be Dominica suing Jamaica for not enforcing their own justice.
Mr. Lee was told he was not wanted in Dominica. He came anyway to force himself on the people. Now – in such a typical fashion – we have him with his hand out asking Dominica for money.
Sincerely, Rev. Donald Hill.
@Rev. Donald Hill, D.D., clearly, you are not familiar with the revised Treaty of Chaguaramas, particularly the part that deals with free movement. Whether or not you despite his work, whether or not the evangelicals wanted him here, whatever the prime minister thought, he has a right of entry. The prime minister of Dominica is responsible for free movement within Caricom and he ought to have known. The government tried using the threat to national security argument, which does not hold water. The prime minister should have been familiar with an earlier case in which the CCJ found the government of Barbados had violated the entry rights of another Jamaican and ordered them to pay her tens of thousands of dollars, plus her legal cost for treating her similarly to the way Dominica treated Tommy Lee Sparta.
As a religious leader, I expect you to familiarise yourself with the issues before making silly comments. Please don’t be like our political leaders who thrive on people’s…
Francisco Corralo is a threat to national security. NG Lap Seng Is a threat to national security. Allison Meduke is a threat to national security. TOMMY LEE IS A DANCE HALL ARTIST FROM JAMAICA!!!
Dominica is an independent sovereign self governing nation.
The revised Treaty of Chaguaramas must have limitations when it come to issues involving the security of a nation and the safety of its people. This kind of intrusion is going to be seen as meddling.
The P.M. does have the right to make decisions within the boundary of his constitutional and national legal authority when it comes to ruling on who can or cannot enter his country.
It is hard to imagine a reputable professional man of good repute siding with a questionable
Jamaican dance hall artist against decisions made by the government of a nation and a court of law. Some feel he is gold digging.
People are free to draw their own conclusions.
Sincerely, Rev. Donald Hill.
Do a little research and reading… http://csmeonline.org/
@Rev. Donald Hill, D.D. January 13, 2017
I sincerely agree with your comment–especially the line that says: “He came to force himself on the people” that is exactly what he did.
First of all, Rev Donald Hill, Tommy Lee has never been convicted of any crime in Jamaica or elsewhere. He therefore had no travel restrictions placed on him at anytime. Indeed, he had travelled and continues to travel the world, and secondly, he is not begging anything from anybody, his human right were violated by the government of Dominica and with the full support of his government in Jamaica, he has taken legal action to enforce his rights in international law, this is the reason why The Government of Dominica are in negotiations with him…The moral of the story is do not judge a book by the cover….if Dominican refuse to take action against this wicked labour Government then that it a matter for them….
Reverend, well stated. I endorse your comments. I am not an attorney but I could defend Dominica with my argument that this man who knew he was not wanted was bold enough to fly to Dominica. Cabral and his gang should also be held accountable.
Then when he was told to return to his jet, he boldly refused. The nerve of him! What type of person is that?
Furthermore, he committed murder in Jamaica and was out on bail. Which government would allow its national to travel to another island when he was convicted of murder?
Cabral and Tommy are too bold.
Dominica is not a scapegoat for such people and no little place less than Jamaica.
Tommy has the nerve to talk about the Treaty of Chaguanas and whatever.
The man is also a murderer. His government should never have allowed him out of the island. His passport should have been seized.
Reverend, you do not know me. I would love to make them hop in that Court and with simplicity of words. No diplomacy here.
If the man was a murderer what is he doing travelling around the world on a regular basis to perform in Canada, the US, the UK, France, Russia, Africa and many Caribbean countries…
The Truth be Told:
Thank you for writing. I hope you will continue to speak out.
It should be Dominica that is suing Jamaica for allowing their dance hall artist to travel abroad. He not only promotes an evil and harmful lifestyle. He dares go to an island where he has been told he is not wanted in contempt of their elected government and openly defy their police.
I cannot understand why Jamaica would allow him to carry a passport. I am an evangelist and am invited to various countries to preach the gospel. I am proud of my Canadian passport. It reminds me I have a responsibility to behave in a manner that would make my country proud of me.
Sincerely, Rev. Donald Hill.
This is something else. How can you people call yourselves christians when you lie so much? He did not come to force himself on anyone. There were people at the airport waiting for him people even visited him at the cell. There were people who wanted to see him perform.
The vast majority of the country was ambivalent because so few people even knew who he was before idiots like you made a big deal out of this. The people who were against him coming were a very small and vocal minority who had sway over a group of people from whom the government desperately needed votes.
That is the truth of the story whether you like it or not
People like you with your way of thinking are the problem with Dominica
I’m sure that’s why so many people were upset when he was detained
I read the online story published by the Jamaica Star and nowhere in it did Tommy Lee says he had reached a settlement agreement with the government of Dominica!!!
See article below
http://jamaica-star.com/article/entertainment/20170110/tommy-lee-sparta-wins-case-artiste-receive-cash-settlement-dominican
I read that Tommy Lee Sparta got a monetary settlement from the government of Dominica and I read it myself from the Jamaican Gleaner. So which is really correct. DNO please contact the Jamaican newspaper to clarify. What is news becoming to? Lies?
The Gleaner is just like DNO…..go figure lol
…..and has far more credibility than GIS and so has DNO.
sometimes i have to wonder if we have many functional idiots in-charge of certain governmental departments that advise the politicians properly on matters of law or is it that those politicians are just as foolish as the people they employ….
who in their right mind could do what they did to the international artiste and not be reprimanded for it. the way this was handled was disgraceful, from politicians to the police…
even if i find the man’s lyrics repulsive and devilish, his constitutional rights was taken away from him…
now the people’s passport monies have to spent on that silly case….
MR AG I REALLY THINK YOU ARE THE GREATEST OF THEM ALL
Oh, please! Give us a break, you hear?
Who, in their right mind who knows they are not welcomed in a country and would still go there?
Who, in their right mind who is accused of murder would leave his country and go to another country boldly, unashamedly to perform and to innocent people/teenagers?
If I were the PM, a government, I would disallow him in my country.
Dominicans must protect their country and from undesirables as Tommy Lee Sparta. Wherever such a type goes the devil follows and is in the midst of his performance.
Let God arise. Let His enemies scatter. Let them that hate Him flee from His face.
As wax is melted so the wicked will perish in the eternal fire, where they belong. Be gone Satan from our midst!
Truth be told
Not everyone is ignorant of their right like you!!! Don’t be mad that it took a Jamaican ghetto youth to teach you dumbanicans about CARICOM…
This what happen when ONE MAN is the manager of everything..
skerrit fire de Ag and de police commissioner. because when you gave you orders to them they did not follow them properly….
Read for yourself: http://urbanislandz.com/2017/01/10/tommy-lee-sparta-win-3-million-lawsuit-dominica/
hmm, wonder why superman Tony Astaphan is not representing government in this case. But knowing him he is smart enough to only take cases where there is at least a fair chance of winning. Draw your own conclusions folks. If the claimant does win i suggest the evangelical churches hold a radiothon so they and their followers can pay for this and not all the taxpayers of Dominica. This artiste was banned at their instigation.