US prosecutors have filed an objection to the application for bail for Jamaican reggae star Buju Banton.
The counter motion, widely expected, was filed on Thursday in the Sam M Gibbons Federal Court in Tampa – and was essentially a response to the bail application made on Tuesday by Banton’s lawyers.
The motion filed by Assistant US Attorney James Preston calls for the application to the struck out without hearing-- stating that the entertainer’s lawyers did not forward any sound legal argument for their own motion.
Preston said the argument made by defense lawyer David Markus that Banton, whose real name is Mark Myrie, is not a flight risk because of his popularity is not a sound enough argument.
Markus had argued in his filing that Banton was only originally denied bail shortly after his arrest last year because of his immigration status since his entertainer’s visa was revoked.
He has signaled his intention to seek bond in the immigration court to prevent his deportation while he awaits his new trial schedule to start sometime in December.
But in the documents filed Thursday, the US Prosecutor stated that Markus had failed to point out that the court had previously found that there were aggravating factors for Banton's detention outside of his immigration woes.
The bail hearing is tentatively set for next Wednesday, October 6. The new sets of motions followed Monday’s declaration of the drug conspiracy hearing a mistrial by Judge James Moody.
This after the jury failed to reach a unanimous decision following nearly 15 hours of deliberations. Banton has been in jail for nearly nine months since his original arrests.
Previously applications for bail have been denied.
