Imprisoned for almost three months now while awaiting trial for murder, possession of a firearm and marijuana, Vybz Kartel does not escape his past for all that. The court has ordered him to pay 15 million Jamaican dollars (about 134,000 euros) to the promoter Abuka Entertainment, in compensation for a 2009 concert in the Turks and Caicos Islands at which he failed to appear, but pocketed the advance.
Sued by the promoter for damages, the deejay had not responded to the legal documents and reminders. A default judgment was handed down by Judge Martin Gayle last Friday, just before Constant Spring police added a charge to the case of Clive "Lizard" Williams, of whose murder Kartel is accused: perverting the course of justice.
His protégée Gaza Slim (formerly Vanessa Bling), real name Vanessa Saddler, has joined him in the dock, alongside Shawn Storm and four other men. To muddy the waters after "Lizard"'s death on 16 August, she allegedly made a false statement to police, accusing "Lizard" of having robbed her. A text message found on her phone allegedly instructed her to make this false statement.
Vybz Kartel's court calendar is packed. He will appear on Wednesday 21 December for the murder of Barrington "Bossie" Bryan in July. In that case, bail was set at $3 million (about 27,000 euros).
Source: Jamaica Observer