The conviction of Jamaican dancehall artist Vybz Kartel for the murder of a friend over ten years ago was overturned on March 14, 2024, after a London judge decided that attempts to influence the trial jury rendered the conviction unreliable.
The musician, whose actual name is Adidja Palmer, is among the most well-known in Jamaica and has worked with singers like Rihanna and Jay-Z.
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Since 2011, Kartel, 48, has been incarcerated in Jamaica due to the unaccounted-for disappearance of his associate Clive “Lizard” Williams.
2014 saw the conviction of Kartel and three other defendants following a trial that lasted 64 days in Kingston, Jamaica—one of the longest trials ever. Kartel was given a life sentence with a minimum of 35 years in jail; however, this was eventually lowered to 32 and a half years on appeal.
The Privy Council, the highest court of appeal in Jamaica and several other Commonwealth nations heard Kartel and his co-defendants’ last potential appeal last month.
Their attorneys contended that the trial judge erred in his handling of claims made by one juror that he sought to have other jurors return not-guilty verdicts for 500,000 Jamaican dollars, or about $3,200.
On Thursday, the trial judge’s choice to permit the juror who was accused of accepting bribes to remain on the panel was deemed by Judge David Lloyd-Jones to be “fatal to the safety of the convictions,” and the defendants were granted permission to appeal.
To determine if Kartel and his co-defendants should face another trial, the Privy Council remanded the matter to the Jamaican Court of Appeal.
