The conviction of Vybz Kartel, a musician from Jamaica, for the murder of a colleague over ten years ago has been overturned. A court in London has deemed the conviction as unsafe due to evidence of attempted bribery of the trial jury.
Adidja Palmer, known as the dancehall sensation, is a highly acclaimed musician in Jamaica and has teamed up with renowned figures like Jay-Z and Rihanna.
Kartel, who is 48 years old, has been incarcerated in Jamaica since 2011 for the alleged abduction and absence of his partner Clive “Lizard” Williams, whose remains have yet to be located.
Following a lengthy 65-day trial, which was one of the longest in the history of Jamaica, Kartel and three accomplices were found guilty in 2014. Kartel received a life sentence with a minimum of 35 years, but this was later lowered to 32 and a half years on appeal.
In the previous month, Kartel and his accomplices made their ultimate attempt at appealing to the judicial committee of the privy council in London, the last resort for Jamaica and other nations in the Commonwealth.
The attorneys presented a claim that the presiding judge mishandled the accusation that a juror offered J$500,000 (£2,500; $3,200) to other jurors in exchange for a not guilty verdict.
On Thursday, the defendants were granted the right to appeal. Lord Lloyd-Jones stated that the judge’s ruling to keep the juror, who was accused of offering bribes, on the jury was problematic and jeopardized the validity of the convictions.
The Privy Council instructed the Court of Appeal in Jamaica to reconsider the case of Kartel and his co-defendants, in order to determine if a new trial should take place.
Source: theguardian.com
