The Court of Appeal will begin hearing submissions this morning, June 10, on whether to order a retrial for incarcerated dancehall artiste Vybz Kartel and his three co-accused.

The hearing, scheduled to take place over five days, will involve attorneys for the accused—Kartel, Shawn Campbell, Kahira Jones, and Andre St John—arguing for their release from prison.

This follows the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council overturning their murder convictions and sentences in March this year, citing jury misconduct.

The case centres around a juror who attempted to bribe other members of the jury during the high-profile 2014 murder trial.

The panel of Law Lords at the Privy Council that adjudicated the case in February comprised Lord Reed, Lord Lloyd-Jones, Lord Briggs, Lord Burrows, and Lady Simler.

The matter was remitted to the local appeals court to decide on a retrial. Appeal Court Judge, Justice Marva McDonald Bishop, ordered defence attorneys to submit their submissions by 6 May 2024, and the prosecution by 31 May 2024.

Kartel, whose real name is Adidja Palmer, and his co-accused were convicted on 13 March 2014 of the murder of Clive ‘Lizard’ Williams.

The Privy Council found it unsafe to allow the tainted juror to remain on the jury that decided the men’s fate. The juror was later convicted of attempting to bribe a fellow juror.

Last month, the accused lost their bid for release when the High Court dismissed their habeas corpus application, on which they were relying to be granted bail.