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Family, friends and fans of artist Vybz Kartel and his co-accused will learn Wednesday afternoon whether the man they call “World Boss” will face a retrial or be released by an appeals court.
New Court of Appeal president Justice Marva McDonald Bishop, who leads the three-judge panel, said the much-anticipated judgment would be handed down before July 31.
Many of Kartel’s fans are “waiting with bated breath” for the court to rule in the controversial artist’s favour – a verdict that would see the Gaza boss acquitted, sparking wild celebrations among his fans.
However, if the judge sends the entertainer and his co-accused back to court for a new trial, cartel loyalists will have to wait a long time to find out his fate.
On March 14, 2024, the Privy Council, Jamaica’s final court of appeal in the UK, overturned the convictions of Cattell, whose real name is Adidja Palmer, and his co-accused Shawn ‘Shawn Storm’ Campbell, Kahira Jones and Andre St John.
When the men last appeared in court in June, prosecutors were still pushing for a retrial, even though the two defendants charged with the murder of Clive Williams and Vybz Kartel would likely have served their sentences if they were convicted again.
The men were charged with Williams’ murder in 2011 and convicted in 2014.
“We accept that if the court orders a retrial, the appellant will have served close to or the entire minimum sentence,” Acting Attorney General Claudette Thompson said on the final day of a six-day retrial hearing in June.
If the men are tried again and convicted, the sentencing judge will have to take into account the 13 years they have already served, provided they are free on bail, and cannot impose a higher sentence than before.
But Thompson argued that the defendants should not be allowed to go free because of a technical error.
All four defendants were sentenced to life imprisonment, with Campbell and Jones receiving a pre-parole term of 25 years, Palmer receiving 35 years and St John receiving 30 years. However, the Court of Appeal later upheld their convictions, reducing their pre-parole terms by two and a half years.
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