Tommy Lee Sparta’s legal team have made good on their promise to take legal action against the Government of Dominica after the controversial dancehall artiste was denied entry into the island earlier this year.
The artiste’s attorney-at-law, Bert Samuels, has written to the Minister of Foreign Affairs, AJ Nicholson, seeking the government’s intervention in acquiring compensation from the Dominican Government.
Tommy Lee Sparta is claiming that he was denied entry because he is Jamaican, breaching the revised treaty of Chaguaramas. Article seven of the revised treaty states that ‘Within the scope of application of this Treaty and without prejudice to any special provisions contained therein, any discrimination on grounds of nationality only shall be prohibited.’
The artiste’s legal team also stated that the Dominican Government has 30 days to negotiate a settlement with the entertainer or a claim will be filed with the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ).
The artiste, whose real name is Leroy Russell, along with three others, had gone to Dominica to perform at an event in February, but were denied entry upon arrival at the airport via a private jet. Russell told media that he was not given any official word as to why he was being denied entry and was detained by immigration officers.