Buju Banton's first trial took place in September 2010, nine months after his initial arrest by law enforcement officials in Florida and four months after Judge James Moody pushed back Buju's initial court date without giving any specifics regarding why the case was postponed. His second trial, where he was later convicted, took place in February of this year, four months after he was granted bail in the case.
The U.S Supreme Court has developed a four part test considering length of the delay, the reasons for the delay, the defendant's assertion of his right to a speedy trial, and the prejudice to the defendant in judging speedy trial claims. Any violations of the Speedy Trial Act could spark the dismissal of a criminal case given the state's inability to bring the case to trial within a reasonable amount of time.
Buju Banton's legal team filed an appeal last week in a Georgia appeals court, citing violation of said act whilst intimating that the prominent Reggae singjay was not a willing participant in any drug conspiracy.
Buju Banton was sentenced to ten years in prison this past February on three drug-related charges stemming from a December 2009 incident where he allegedly conspired to organize
Written on Wednesday, 21 December 2011 15:56 by Patrick Ewing
