After the past 14 March the Privy Council, the last judicial instance of Jamaica based in London, decided to annul the trial that sentenced the popular singer to life imprisonment Vybz Kartel and others 3 co-accused for the crime of Clive “Lizard” Williams, The future of the artist is debated between a possible new trial or his release.
The Jamaican Court of Appeal is still evaluating both options, while the head of the Jamaican Public Ministry (DPP), Paula Llewellyn, assured that the organization will request a new trial due to the “strength of the case”.
“I think we would be obligated to do it. (ask for a new trial), given the strength of the prosecution case that was presented and given the authority and jurisprudence”, Llewellyn said to Irie FM last week.
The prosecution body based the case on telecommunications evidence (including a text message that said Williams, whose body was never found, had been “dismembered”) and in the key witness, Lamar “Wee” Chow, who testified that Williams was murdered in Kartel's home at his home in Havendale, St. Andrew, the 16 August 2011, after they were summoned there for an alleged disappearance of weapons.
further, in the original trial Kartel's defense questioned the admissibility of telecommunications evidence arguing that the police had obtained them in violation of the Communications Interception Act and the right to privacy of communications, this under the Charter of Fundamental Rights and Freedoms contained in the constitution of Jamaica.
They also questioned Chow's credibility. and cited his inconsistent account of the events, including Chow's letter to a public defender, who claimed he saw Williams after the 16 August 2011 and that the police had pressured him to give a contradictory statement.
It should be remembered that the unanimous decision of the Privy Council to annul the trial was basedsolely on the question of jury misconduct, which led to an unfair trial, although withoutexpress an opinion about improperly obtained evidence or whether undue pressure was placed on the jury.
Kartel's defense is confident in his release
At the same time, Kartel's lawyer, Isat Buchanan, He assured that he is confident that the dancehall star and his three co-defendants will not have to face a new trial for the murder of “Lizard” Williams.
“Our courts have already ruled that eight years is a long time, They carry 13 years locked up. Witness Availability, are witnesses available? And we are not just talking about the material witness, We are talking about officers who have retired and then, what about the tests? What about advertising? What about the prospects of having a fair hearing?”, the defender said in the podcast The Fix last week.
“(The new trial) will not take place”, Buchanan emphasized, although he admitted the right of the Public Ministry to request a new trial.
“You have the right to access the situation and make a determination of what you want to do and, as is, It is the position you have to defend”, He said.
At the moment there are no clear dates on the decision of the Court of Appeals of Jamaica on whether to request a new trial or order the release of the singer whose name is Adidja Palmer.
