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By Nakinskie Robinson
With less than 24 hours until the Court of Appeal delivers its ruling in the matter involving incarcerated dancehall artiste, Adidja 'Vybz Kartel' Palmer, attorney Bert Samuels believes the court will rule in favour of Kartel and his co-accused.
Mr. Samuels told Radio Jamaica News that the men's case was on strong constitutional ground.
"It is my view that the court is going to determine this matter along the lines of the Constitution. And that is, it has been too long a time that the men have been waiting to have their matters done, so that's the view that I share with many others is that there will be a decision favourable to the appellants," he declared.
"With the lapse of 13 years, a trial, a Court of Appeal dismissing the appeal, the Privy Council ruling that this matter was unconstitutional - that is keeping the juror on the jury - and the matter sent back to the Jamaican Court of Appeal by the Privy Council to consider whether there should be a trial or a retrial, this is a matter of great public interest," admitted the attorney whose law firm previously represented Shawn Campbell in the case.
The Appeal Court's decision is scheduled to be handed down at 2 p.m. on Wednesday.
The Court reserved its decision last month following submissions by Vybz Kartel's attorneys that he should not be retried with his co-accused for the murder of Clive 'Lizard' William.
They argued that he should be released from custody following the UK based Privy Council's ruling that quashed the men's convictions.
Vybz Kartel and his co-accused, Shawn 'Shawn Storm' Campbell, Kahira Jones and Andre St. John, had been convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment in 2014 for the 2011 murder of Clive Williams.
But in March, the Privy Council overturned the convictions and sent the matter back to the Court of Appeal for a decision on whether the men should be retried.
The attorneys for the men argued that their continued detention was a breach of their constitutional rights.
They also argued that the men would not get a fair trial due to the publicity surrounding the case.
But this has been dismissed by the Office of Director of Public Prosecutions which contended that the necessary safeguards were in place for them to get a fair trial.
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