Jamaican dancehall star Vybz Kartel's conviction for the murder of an associate more than a decade ago was quashed on Thursday, with a London court ruling that attempts to bribe the trial jury meant the conviction was unsafe. After a 64-day trial in Kingston, one of the longest in Jamaican history, Kartel and three others were convicted in 2014. Kartel was sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum of 35 years, later reduced on appeal to 32-and-a-half. Last month, Kartel and his co-defendants mounted their final possible appeal at the Privy Council in London, the final court of appeal in Jamaica and some other Commonwealth countries. The Privy Council sent the case back to the Court of Appeal in Jamaica to decide whether Kartel and his co-defendants should stand trial again.

Source: The Star March 15, 2024 07:34 UTC