Spencer not the first

Kern Spencer joins a small list of sitting Jamaican Members of Parliament who have faced criminal charges.

Political historians agree that in the 1940s Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) MP Cleave Lewis was charged with selling farm work tickets.

They also agree that later another JLP MP, JZ Malcolm, faced a similar charge.

However there is no agreement on whether a former MP for St. Mary North, Wycliffe Martin, was charged while he was in the House following a victory in the 1967 General Election or after he lost in 1972.

But there's no question that J.A.G Smith was out of the House when he was charged and convicted for conspiracy to defraud the Farm Work Programme.

Smith, a Minister of Labour in the JLP administration of the 1980s and his Permanent Secretary, Probyn Aitkin, were charged after investigations into several improprieties and irregularities involving thousands of dollars from the U.S and Canadian Farm Work Programme.

Aitken pleaded guilty on May 8, 1990, and became the main witness in the case against Smith.

Atkin was sentenced to nine months' imprisonment.

Smith, a chartered accountant was convicted and sentenced to a three-year prison term.

He appealed to the UK Privy Council, but lost his appeal.

Kern Spencer Charged

Former Junior Minister in the Ministry of Energy, Kern Spencer is now in police custody charged with fraud.

He was charged late Tuesday afternoon in connection with the Cuban Light Bulb scandal.

Mr. Spencer, businessman Rodney Chin and Coleen Wright, a former personal assistant to Mr. Spencer were charged by personnel from the Organised Crime Unit.

The charges follow weeks of investigation into the Cuban Light Bulb scandal.

Defence attorney Deborah Martin told the RJR News Centre that she is now making arrangements to have her client before the court by Wednesday.

She said Mr. Spencer would be kept in custody Tuesday night.

The Member of Parliament for North East St Elizabeth has been under investigation following alleged irregularities under the programme to distribute four million free Cuban light bulbs.

The programme racked up an expenditure of more than $270 million.

Mr. Chin and one of his companies, Universal Management Development Company Limited has been implicated in the light bulb controversy.

Universal Management was the driving force behind the distribution of the energy-saving light bulbs.