‘FREE WORL’ BOSS’
Entertainment fraternity says ‘time served’ in Vybz Kartel conviction
IN a case that has undoubtedly captured interest on a global scale, Vybz Kartel and his co-accused had their convictions quashed by the Privy Council on Thursday.
But while the latter means the entertainer is no longer considered officially guilty of the murder of Clive “Lizard” Williams, his case is still not over as Jamaica’s Court of Appeal has to now grapple with the decision on whether or not to grant the entertainer and his three co-accused a retrial.
Still, key players in the entertainment industry believe that, given the doubt that has been cast on the manner in which the case was handled the first time around, the only fair decision the local court can make at this juncture involves freedom and only freedom for the “Worl’ Boss”.
“He is not a criminal anymore, based on the ruling,” said artiste manager and promoter Heavy D. “Privy Council throw out the conviction, so he’s not guilty, and I think at this time, given everything that has happened in this case dem fi just throw everything out and free the man.”
According to Heavy D, while the Privy Council did not set the deejay free themselves, their ruling is an indication that the local courts did not give the deejay and his co-accused a fair trial.
He shared that, given the fact that the deejay has already spent more than a decade behind bars, the justice system, for all its flaws, should consider the latter time served.
“At the end of the day, this man spend 13 years in prison. Mi nah tell people wah fi do, but me just nuh think we fi go back through the whole process. If him never spend no length a time then maybe I could say yes, retrial, but him spend 13 years behind bars. Him do him time in my opinion,” said Heavy D.
Entertainer Stylysh agreed. The female artiste, who recalled Kartel handing her a huge platform via a collaboration, said she believes, with everything that has come to light, Vybz Kartel should not be allowed to face the system a second time on the same matter.
“I think the judgment is a very god thing, cuz at least him stand a next chance. But, me feel like the system see say dem sheg up and all eyes on dem worldwide, because this case is not just in Jamaica people interested. The best thing dem fi do a free up the man and make people see say wi justice system is not just a big joke,” she said. “Memba why Privy Council say weh dem say ennu…jury tampering. It evident say things never done right. Mi just wah the court a Jamaica do the right thing now and set the man free mek him come a road and take care a him family.”
Michael Dawson, who co-authored the book The Voice of the Jamaican Ghetto with Vybz Kartel, said he had mixed emotions on the Privy Council’s decision. According to him, it was blatantly evident that a fair trial had not been afforded to Kartel and his co-accused. He said he believed that, based on the latter, Kartel should already be home with his family.
“Mixed emotions... it is good that they agree that his conviction was to be quashed, but [I] really thought he would have been home with his family tonight based on the entirety of what we know. We hoped that they would have gone the extra step, given his health, the 13 years of incarceration, and the fact that it has been proven that he did not get a fair trial in Jamaica,” he said. “We have to now count on the same system to treat him fairly? I think the authorities should do the honourable thing and say, send them home and not even re-try a case 10 years later which was controversial in the original format.”
Concerned about not only the sum it would cost the State to facilitate a retrial, Professor Donna Hope said if the local Court of Appeal does go that route, finding witnesses and jurors with the capacity to be impartial would be almost impossible at this juncture.
“The Privy Council quashed the conviction but still did not set them free because they want the Jamaican system to do that. Their ruling has a lot to do with how the case was allowed to proceed even with the glaring irregularities,” she said. “When you look at it, 13 years being locked up, 10 years after a conviction, there is nobody in Jamaica today above the age of 18 who doesn’t have an opinion on this Kartel issue.
“A lot of people have already decided on this and so, logistically, a retrial is basically impossible and will be a very expensive undertaking for the Jamaican Government,” she continued.
She went on to point out that, regardless of what the local court decides, Gaza fans are already considering Thursday’s ruling a win for the deejay.
“A lot of people are taking this, Gaza fans and Gaza massive are taking this as a win for Vybz Kartel and his team. I can imagine every party for the next couple of weeks will be a ‘Worl’ Boss party,” she said.