Federal Criminal Defence Lawyer, Frank A Rubino, who has tried hundreds of cases involving serious federal and international criminal offenses including the case against Panamanian General, Manuel Noriega is being recruited by the management for embattled reggae artiste, Buju Banton, a report on Internet website caribbeanworldnews.com states.

CaribWorldNews quotes president of Banton’s Gargamel Music, Tracii McGregor, as saying that current attorney, Herbert Walker, III, was simply hired to represent Banton during his initial court appearance.

It is said that McGregor revealed that she has been meeting with several top criminal attorneys to take over the case. They include top criminal defence attorneys David Oscar Markus, who was named a 2009 Florida SuperLawyer for White Collar Criminal Defence Representation and was listed in the 2009 Chambers & Partners for White Collar Crime & Government Investigations and Frank Rubino.

“Walker has never really been our attorney,” said McGregor in an exclusive interview with CaribWorldNews. “This is Buju and we’re going to get him the top legal representation there is. We are ready to fight.”

In the interview on Friday, McGregor, it is reported, insisted the singer, born Mark Anthony Myrie, was “innocent” and that the label would pursue the best legal team to prove this.

So far the deejay has not been transferred to Tampa, since waiving his right to a bail hearing Wednesday in preference for a Tampa trial.

“A clearly emotional McGregor revealed that she was in New York last Thursday afternoon, when she got the ‘shocking’ call of Banton’s arrest,” the website report stated.

It said that McGregor had been in Florida for the past few weeks preparing for the move of the label officially to the Sunshine State.

McGregor also revealed the label will soon release a new video on the four-time Grammy Award-winning singer’s new song, Optimistic Soul, from his new album, Rasta Got Soul.

Banton, along with Ian Thomas and James Jackson Mack, was indicted on December 15. The federal indictment claims that the trio “knowingly and willing fully conspired with each other and with others to possess with intent to distribute five kilogrammes or more of a substance containing a delectable amount of cocaine”.

If convicted, he faces 20 to life on the charge while all property deemed to have been gained from drug distribution could be forfeited.