KINGSTON, Jamaica—Dancehall artiste Munga Honorable is scheduled to return to the Supreme Court on April 30th to answer to a murder charge in connection with the 2017 slaying of Cleveland Smith.

The “Nah Mad Ova No Gal” deejay is represented by well-known attorney at law Christopher Townsend who revealed that even after seven years, the prosecution’s file remains incomplete so full disclosure is yet to be made to the defence.

“The learned senior deputy, upon perusing the file, realised that disclosure had not yet been completed. What remained outstanding was a report from the authorities who had examined telephone records and phones collected in the matter to do analysis,” Townsend told Observer Online.

In litigation, disclosure is providing the defence with copies or access to all material that could undermine the prosecution’s case and/or assist the defence.

Townsend admitted that although that report may support the defence’s position, he had a “difficulty” with this development, and found it “more than a bit odd” that the file had not been completed after seven years.

“Having held out for seven years, I am now concerned as to what this report will come and say,” Townsend said. He lamented that the delay had created unforeseen problems.

“One of the things we fear is that come the date of the trial, we will hear that they (the prosecution) have a problem with their witnesses and their availability. In our preparation for trial, we ourselves have had difficulty in locating one of our witnesses who we are relying on to confirm key parts of our defence strategy,” Townsend shared.

The prominent attorney suggested that his client’s constitutional rights had been breached because of the ‘inordinate amount of time’ the case had been languishing before the courts.

“My client’s constitutional right to trial within a reasonable time has been breached. A reasonable time is an average of five years, but at this stage, after seven years, without full disclosure, how can we now trust that we can even rely on this information that remains outstanding?” Townsend asked.

According to the police report, it is alleged that Smith was accosted by a group of men, one of whom was reportedly armed with a gun at a dance in the Ackee Walk community of St Andrew. An altercation ensued between them during which Smith was shot.

He was then rushed to the Kingston Public Hospital where he was pronounced dead.

Now that Munga’s case is fast approaching, Townsend has called for the “Director of Public Prosecution’s office, the judiciary, and the bar” to make a decision.

“We have to dump some cases that have been before the court for an inordinate amount of time. In a mature democracy, why can’t we dispense justice in a reasonable time, we have to dispose of matters,” Townsend said.

Munga Honorable is known for tracks including “In My Arms”, “Flippin Rhymes”, and “Bad From Me Born”.

-Claude Mills