KINGSTON, Jamaica— Social media personality Chavez Allen popularly known as the ‘Pajama Billionaire’ was freed on Friday of charges brought against him for breaches of the Betting Gaming and Lotteries Act.

The judgement was handed down in the Corporate Area Criminal Court.

Allen was accused of hosting an illegal raffle on social media in November 2020 in which the gate prize was a SUV Mercedes Benz.

His attorney, King’s Counsel Peter Champagnie, before the commencement of the trial, submitted that the prosecution of Allen was an abuse of process as this was not the first time that the Lotteries Commission had brought the charges against his client.

In June of last year a judge dismissed a case of the same offence against Allen after Champagnie pressed to have the case either start or be dismissed. It was pointed out by Champagnie that the prosecution, despite valiant efforts to secure the attendance and cooperation from its main witness of the Betting, Gaming & Lotteries Commission, had failed.

READ: Lottery charge dismissed against ‘Pajama Billionaire’

However, in April 2023 prosecutors sought to relist the matter against Allen, stating that they were able to proceed with mounting a viable case against him.

Now seven months later, Champagnie reminded the court that last year’s dismissal of the case had arisen in circumstances where the witnesses had failed to attend court despite several notifications to attend by the prosecution.

He further argued that, since then, witnesses that would have been called in defense of his client had migrated, and one had died.

On this basis Champagnie submitted that proceeding with a trial would be unfair to his client.

After hearing further legal arguments from Champagnie and the prosecutor, the judge ruled in favour of Allen.