Jamaica’s Director of Public Prosecutions, Paula Llewellyn, has announced that her office intends to seek a retrial for Vybz Kartel and his three co-accused.
Last Thursday, the imprisoned dancehall artist and his three co-accused: Shawn Campbell, Kahira Jones, and Andre St John, had their 2014 life sentences quashed by the United Kingdom-based Privy Council on the basis of jury tampering.
The four men were sentenced to life in prison for the 2011 murder of Clive “Lizard” Williams.
In its judgment, the Privy Council ordered that the case be returned to Jamaica’s Appeal Court to decide whether to order a retrial for Vybz Kartel and the three men or set them free.
On a Jamaica radio program this morning, the DPP said that the next course of action would be to pursue a retrial.
“I believe we would be obliged to [pursue a retrial] given the strength of the case for the prosecution that was put up, and given the authority and the case law,” Llewellyn said.
“As I reflect going forward to my retirement next year, I have been too successful in seeking to sensitize the public and the media, to try to explain a lot of complex issues. Very often when you have knowledge of the state of the law, the prosecutors are obliged to go on a particular path,” she added.
Last week, following the judgment, Vybz Kartel said he was confident that he would be home with his family soon, insisting that there was no point in a retrial.
“I am confident that the Court of Appeal in Jamaica will do the right thing in the name of equity, fairness and justice and free us. Some people have expressed their concern to me that a retrial may be ordered but to them I say (albeit with my limited knowledge of the law) ‘What is there to retry’?” he said in his first official statement.
Llewellyn said factors influencing a retrial include the seriousness of the crime and public interest.
“The public has to be aware that the issue of retrial, as far as prosecutors are concerned, has nothing to do with emotions. It has nothing to do with who the accused is. It has to do with the seriousness of the offense, the public interest, [or] how extensive it may be to mount the retrial. It doesn’t even have to do with what the likely verdict may be,” she said.
Vybz Kartel’s lawyer to seek bail
As for Vybz Kartel’s lawyer Isat Buchanan, his next order of business, he said, would be to seek bail for his client.
Buchanan, however, admitted that he could not predict when Kartel would be released on bail. He was denied bail the first time around after being charged with the murder of Williams.
“We await the orders from the court to be sent to the Court of Appeal and we will take it from there. I know that the Privy Council acts expeditiously given the fact that it was an expedited hearing so we will get word from the court. That’s all I can say right now,” Buchanan said.
