Vybz Kartel no-show sparks investigation into One Caribbean Music Festival’s $950K payment

Trinidad and Tobago: One Caribbean Music Festival is under massive investigation of how the festival had secured the funds, US dollars to pay the artists that were to perform at the festival, specifically the Jamaican dancehall star Vybz Kartel who was supposed to get $950,000 and was a no-show.

The Acting Commissioner of Police, Junior Benjamin gave the confirmation of the investigation on Tuesday saying that the Financial Investigation Branch (FIB) is examining the timeline of the 950,000 US dollars that were given as payment to Vybz Kartel.

The senior police officers reportedly said that they were set to examine if all legal procedures were followed and there are no legal issues relating to the acquiring and the transaction of the funds. Making sure that all necessary foreign laws, foreign exchange control and financial transparency regulation were adhered to by the promoters of the One Caribbean Music Festival.

No further reports have been issued by the police as further investigation is ongoing. It is said the investigation of the music festival could take up to 30 days or more.

Jamaican dancehall sensation Vybz Kartel who was scheduled to appear as the main act of the reggae concert at Queens Park Savannah on May 31 did not show up due to the fact that he was promised and supposed to be paid $1.35 million, by the event coordinators but the promoters failed to fulfill the agreed upon amount as per contact and only offered $950,000 which he could not accept though the Finance Minister Davendranath Tancoo says that he was intrigued by the amount.

Notably, the show featured international acts such as Malie Donn, Rvssian, Sizzla Kalonji, and Moliy along with national acts including Lady Lava and Ravi.

The organizers of the One Caribbean Music Festival issued a statement on Tuesday night to refund all e-Tickets that were bought through their official online Platform, due to the none appearance of three headline performers that were scheduled to appear as advertised. The purchasers of online e-Tickets of the One Caribbean Music Festival are scheduled to automatically receive their refunds in the next 5 to 7 business days.