Even despite the Privy Council’s rejection, Vybz Kartel’s troubles are not yet ended.
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| Vybz Kartel |
The appeal of the murder conviction is still outstanding
Dancehall icon Adidja “Vybz Kartel” Palmer’s long-running legal struggle to get his murder conviction overturned by the UK Privy Council appears to have hit a roadblock after his legal team’s request to appeal on “new grounds” was denied.
This rejection, which was made on February 15, 2023, concerns requests to provide new evidence in support of his murder appeal.
The requests for his fellow prisoners Shawn Campbell, alias Shaw Storm, Kahira Jones, and Andre St. John were all rejected.
Palmer’s primary appeal is still pending, according to Director of Public Prosecutions Paula Llewellyn, who clarified the situation on Nationwide News on Tuesday.
In addition, Palmer is contesting his conviction and punishment for killing his friend Clive “Lizard” Williams in 2011.
Isat Buchanan, Vybz Kartel’s lawyer, was noncommittal when reached on Tuesday.
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| Attorney Isat Buchanan |
The situation is under litigation, Buchanan said.
Sub judice, which is Latin for “under a judge,” in the context of law denotes that a case or matter is now being tried or taken into consideration by a judge or court.
According to the Privy Council’s decision, after considering an application for leave to appeal from the Court of Appeal of Jamaica’s decision of April 3, 2020, and after considering written arguments from the appellants and the respondents, they have decided that:
Permission to appeal is denied (in the application dated 20 November 2020), along with the requests for a deadline extension and the introduction of new evidence. Permission to appeal is also denied with respect to the additional grounds put out on behalf of Mr. Palmer. The argument that there has been a major injustice, in this case, is not supported by the reasons (in the application dated 12 November 2021)
On Nationwide, Llewellyn stated: “According to what we understand, the key appeal that will determine whether or not there will be a trial is still pending. They were denied permission to call new evidence in this particular instance.”
She recalled that Palmer’s team sent cyber specialists to Jamaica to investigate the crucial phone.
“After it was over, they received their reports. They filed an appeal with the Privy Council asking for authorization to invite their experts to testify about what they had discovered. Other related petitions were also filed in this regard “Llewellyn claimed.
“What has come down from the Privy Council is a rejection to issue that order for fresh evidence in order for them to call their expert and any other attendant witnesses to do with the expert’s testimony,” she continued. “There has also been a denial in terms of that component of the appeal.”
Kartel has been in detention since September 2011 and was found guilty in 2014.
Instead of the 35 years minimum parole time that Kartel was originally sentenced to serve for the murder of Williams, the Jamaican Court of Appeal ruled in April 2020 that Kartel must serve at least 32 years and six months in prison.
St. John will serve 27 years and 6 months in prison, while Campbell and Jones will each serve 22 years and 6 months.
