NEW YORK, NY, Tues. April 7, 2009: An examining judge in Suriname on Monday again refused to release an American singer who has been jailed on the CARICOM nation since February while the promoter who hired her remains on the lam.
CWNN has learnt that the judge granted the Public Prosecutor’s request to detain Trina Johnson Finn for yet another 30 days as they build a case. The singer has been detained since February 29th.
Johnson-Finn was hired as a Toni Braxton impersonator for a February 28th concert by Angel Ventura promotions, according to a copy of a contract obtained by CWNN.
But Ventura, according to reports, promoted the concert as a Toni Braxton performance, leading to riots and looting by concert goers who shelled out for the event.
Ray Finn, Johnson Finn`s husband, was also jailed for two weeks but subsequently released. He says his wife is being `scapegoated` by Suriname authorities while the real culprits remain free.
`Over the month Trina has been sitting in a Suriname jail, not one single local citizen has been questioned, detained or taken into custody by the local authorities,` said Finn. `We are talking about people who promoted, advertised, sold tickets to the event for over a month before my wife’s arrival in Suriname. We are talking about people who provided government sponsored permits to the promoter to secure a public facility, to secure permission to sell alcohol at a public facility, to secure armed private security for a public facility, etc. We are talking people who have later admitted having previous business and personal relationships with the promoter and his girlfriend. This stinks of local corruption and payoff!`
Finn is now organizing a protest march for later this month on the Suriname embassies in D.C. and Miami and on Capitol Hill. `These coordinated marches are being held in association with INTAAP (International Network of Talent Agents and Producers) and many from the Tribute Artist / Celebrity Impersonator industry as well as many family, friends and members of our extended network,` he told CWNN by email last night.
