Buju Banton Returns To Court

Imprisoned reggae star Buju Banton is heading back to court on Thursday for an evidentiary hearing which has been granted by United States Magistrate James Moody.

The artiste will be taken before the Sam Gibbons Court in Tampa, Florida, which will look into whether an admission by a female juror to a Florida-based media house that she violated federal regulations constituted a breach of his rights.

The hearing was granted late last month just weeks after Bujus lawyer, Chokwe Lumumba, and his defence support committee filed an application after learning that the juror violated court orders.

The female juror, Terri Wright, and three other jurors involved in the trial will answer to the court during the hearing.

The judge is to determine whether jurors were exposed to extrinsic information during the trial.

The other jurors that have been called in for questioning are Frank Arnone, Janice Benoit, and Steven Boyce.

In October, Miss Wright admitted in an interview that she researched aspects of the case on her computer before reaching a verdict. If that turns out to be true, the judge could rule in favour of a mistrial.

Ms Wright said her research of the case did not influence her decision.

Buju Banton is currently serving a 10-year sentence in a Florida prison after being convicted in February of three counts of drug trafficking charges.

The Grammy-winning singer is also facing an additional five years on a gun charge.