KINGSTON, Jamaica (AP) - A Jamaican judge has cleared Grammy-winning musician Beenie Man of tax-evasion charges, saying the government never informed him of his legal rights.

Jamaican authorities have said the singer and rapper owed nearly US$1 million in overdue taxes.

But Judge Owen Parkin threw out the case Tuesday, ruling evidence showed the entertainer was not informed of his rights when auditors issued their assessment last year.

The singer's real name is Anthony Moses Davis. The Kingston native has been one of the biggest names in dancehall music for a decade. In 2001, he won a Grammy for his album "Art and Life."

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