Shab Don Allegedly Offered Cop $2 Million Bribe
Embattled Dancehall producer Linval “Shabba” Thompson Jr. is celebrating his freedom after he was allegedly found with an illegal gun during a vehicular stop and search last month.
Prosecutors also claim that Thompson Jr., who is popularly known as Shab Don, offered a two million dollar bribe to a cop before members of the Specialized Operations SWAT team searched his Mercedez Benz and found the loaded illegal gun on South Street in Old Harbour, St Catherine.
Shab Don, 31, along with his 22-year-old passenger, Romaro “BMR” Scott, were arrested and later charged with illegal possession of ammunition and the firearm, which has since been identified as being the property of the Atlanta Police Department and had been reported stolen in 2018.
On November 10, Shab Don was granted bail in the sum of $250,000 on the firearm charge but was slapped with the new charge of breaching the Corruption Prevention Act, stemming from the alleged bribe offer.
Shab Don’s co-accused Romaro Scott remains on remand and will next appear in court on December 2.
On November 17, prominent attorney-at-law Donahue Martin appeared in court on Shab Don’s behalf for the corruption matter and confirmed that the producer was bailed in the sum of $450,000 with one or two sureties.
DancehallMag has also confirmed that a stop order has been placed on Shab Don. A source within the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) said that the producer is required to surrender his travel documents. “(He is required) to report Mondays, Wednesday and Fridays between 6 a.m. and 6 p.m. at Old Harbour Police Station,” the source said.
The source added that Shab Don was only facing minimal conditions, prior. “There was no stop order previously nor was he required to surrender his travel document. He was only required to report two days per week.”
In an Instagram post today, the producer celebrated his freedom by sharing the audio from Vybz Kartel’s Bail For Me, released in 2009.
His next court date is January 20, 2022.
Shab Don Records, which comprises Thompson Jr and Carlos Clarke, became one of the most sought-after production houses around 2019. The label was initially formed as a production outfit for the Squash-led 6ixx group which was based in Montego Bay, and specialized in Dancehall and Trap fusions.
Shab Don’s most notable projects include Money Fever by Squash, Shub Out (Teejay) and Any Weather (Vybz Kartel).