The Jamaican Government has spent £185,659 (approximately J$36.2 million) on the services of a British legal team who argued on behalf of the crown in the appeal case against Vybz Kartel and his co-accused at the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council (JCPC).
The appellants, Shawn Campbell, Adidja Palmer a/k/a Vybz Kartel, Kahira Jones, and Andre St John, were convicted in a Jamaican court of the murder of Clive “Lizard” Williams on 13 March 2014.
On March 14, 2024 the UK’s JCPC handed down an 18 page judgment quashing the conviction stating that the “Appellants Appeal be Allowed” on the grounds that the the jury tampering affected his constitutional rights.
After the appeal’s verdict, King Charles through The JCPC ordered the Jamaican Government to pay the legal costs incurred for the appellants.
A message from Vybz Kartel’s representatives to WMV on Sunday, states that “Kartel’s legal fee for his and his co-accused lawyers plus affidavits, application, experts, airfare and accommodations accumulated to over 670,000 British pounds,” an amount the Jamaican taxpayers will also have to offset.
The JCPC sent the case back to Jamaica’s appeals court to decide other or not there should be a retrial and a decision should be handed down before July 31 when the Appeals Court takes a break. Should the court decide to pursue a retrial, it could cost the Jamaican tax payers a staggering $150 million in lawyer fees, according to legal experts in the Jamaica Gleaner.
During the Vybz Kartel trial, the prosecution relied on telecommunications evidence from the accused’s phones, provided by Digicel. The defense contested this evidence, citing privacy breaches and procedural errors, but the trial judge admitted it. The trial also faced allegations of jury tampering, with claims of a juror attempting to bribe others. Despite these concerns, the judge continued the trial without discharging the implicated juror, a decision that drew scrutiny.
Additionally, the judge’s pressure on the jury to deliver a verdict late in the day raised further questions about the trial’s integrity. Kartel’s appeal to the Jamaica Court of Appeal was dismissed in 2020, though his parole time was reduced.
However, the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council (JCPC) reviewed the case in February 2024 and, on March 14, 2024, quashed the original verdict, highlighting the infringement of the appellants’ constitutional rights due to the handling of the jury tampering allegations. This ruling sets a precedent for future cases, emphasizing the importance of procedural fairness and the integrity of the judicial process.
