Trinidadian artiste entered St Maarten illegally, claims Minister Lewis

St Maarten: The Minister of Justice of St Maarten, Lyndon Lewis, on Wednesday, made a significant revelation about the shooting incident on the island which left Trinidad artiste and his co-mates injured.  

He said that the Trinidad Artiste Mescach Emmanuel, also known as 'Plumpy Boss,' did not have an entry permit to enter St. Maarten, meaning that he entered the island illegally.  

The Minister made it very clear that neither he nor the acting Minister of Justice Grisha Heyliger Marten signed off on a permit to allow Emmanuel and his teammates to gain entry to the island nation.  

He outlined, “I, as Minister of Justice nor the acting Minister, have issues any permit of its kind to the singer to enter St Maarten.” Lewis also claimed that it seems that the promoter allowed the artiste to enter the nation as a tourist and did not inform the government about the same.  

It was only after the shooting incident that the government got to know about the incident and therefore, they also asked the police officials to launch an investigation to find the exact details of his entry.  

In addition to this, the Justice Minister also disclosed that the Minister of TEATT, Grisha Heyliger Marten, did not issue any event license for such a performance. 

Lewis also urged the youth not to engage in such activities as it would only lead to imprisonment. “Listening to the mother of the young man involved, I heard the voice of a woman in deep distress and despair and pain for her child,” he added while saying that this is the impact of such a lifestyle.  

He asked them to think before getting involved in criminal activities as the country is too small and the communities are too interconnected for anyone to endure the divisions that gang violence often creates.  

As the Minister of Justice and Minister of Youth, he assured the public that he is committed to restoring peace, peace and safety in the community. 

According to the information, the shooting incident took place on Sunday, which left Plumpy Boss seriously injured along with four others. The incident occurred at a local night spot after the concert while they were inside their vehicle.  

The driver of the van immediately drove at a fast pace as soon as the shooting began and rushed towards the airport where the medical personnel treated them and took them to the hospital.  

Plumpy Boss is a well-known reggae and dancehall artist hailing from Port of Spain, Trinidad and reportedly he was in St Maarten for a concert with his band members. The artiste was airlifted from St Maarten to Trinidad for urgent medical treatment yesterday following the shooting incident after the concert at Moon Bar Rooftop in Maho.