Kern offered bail But former junior minister, two co-accused spend another night in lock-up
KARYL WALKER, Observer staff reporter walkerk@jamaicaobserver.com Thursday, February 28, 2008
Police officers stuff former state minister for energy, Kern Spencer, into a Toyota Corolla after he was granted bail in the sum of $10 million yesterday. (Photo: Lionel Rookwood)
DESPITE being offered bail during a hastily-arranged court appearance yesterday, former state minister for energy, Kern Spencer and his two co-accused, Rodney Chin and Coleen Wright, could not avoid spending another night behind bars.
Due to the late hour of the ruling little time was left for the three to take up their bail applications but are expected to walk out of jail today if they meet the court's requirements. They will again appear in court on March 26 when the case will come up for mention.
The three are facing charges of fraud, corruption and money laundering in relation to the Cuban light bulb scandal, following allegations that $114 million was improperly spent on the distribution of four million energy-saving light bulbs - a gift from the Cuban Government.
The three accused were, at minutes to five yesterday afternoon, spirited away from the Corporate Area Resident Magistrate's Court after Resident Magistrate Glen Brown offered Spencer and Chin bail in the sum of $10 million each and Wright in the sum of $5 million.
A September 2007 photo of former junior minister for energy, Kern Spencer, and Coleen Wright, during the official opening of the new parliament following the general elections. The two, along with Rodney Chin, who was named as the sole director of both Universal Management and Development Company and Caribbean Communications and Media Network, were arrested and charged Tuesday evening with several counts of conspiracy to defraud, money laundering and corruption in connection with the Cuban light bulb scandal in which $267 million was spent to distribute four million energy-saving light bulbs that were donated to Jamaica by the Cuban Government. (Observer file photo)
All three were ordered fingerprinted by the magistrate and ordered to hand over their travel documents to the police. A stop order has also been made against them.
Claudette Thompson of the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions did not object to bail applications made by attorneys Patrick Atkinson, Valerie Neita-Robertson and Walter Fletcher, who represent Spencer, Chin and Wright, respectively.
During his bail application, Atkinson told the court that Spencer had voluntarily handed over a diplomatic passport and his Jamaican passport.
The attorney, at the same time, was scathing in his criticism of the prosecution, which he said did not furnish defence lawyers with details of the case.
"The written press has more details of the charges. I think this whole thing is orchestrated," Atkinson charged.
Spencer and Chin arrived at the court in Half-Way-Tree in a heavily tinted unmarked police car, and were without handcuffs as is normally the case for remandees when taken to the court by the police. Both men, in an effort to avoid media cameras, sprinted from the vehicle into the holding area with free hands.
Journalists and cameramen were initially barred from the courtroom by a plainclothes officer but after protests by reporters and the urging of Neita-Robertson and court staff, the bar was lifted.
The case was almost put off until today after the failure to bring in Wright by the scheduled 4:00 pm start. "I am not sitting at night court," RM Brown remarked.
Wright, dressed in a pair of blue jeans pants, a grey and white sweater and flip flop slippers arrived about 30 minutes into the sitting.
Spencer, who was dressed in a grey suit with a white shirt, but without socks, and Chin who wore a striped short sleeved shirt and blue jeans, both appeared calm when the case was called up.
When the magistrate ruled that the accused would be granted bail, Spencer and Wright flashed each other smiles and whispered in a huddle.
With the exception of caretaker for West Central St Andrew, Patrick Roberts, the courtroom was devoid of any other prominent member of Spencer's People's National Party (PNP).
After the three were fingerprinted, Wright, with a cover on her upper body, was pushed into a marked police vehicle which sped through the Half-Way-Tree Police Station. She is being held at the Duhaney Park Police Station, which only houses women detainees.
When it was time for Spencer and Chin to be taken to the Kingston Central Police Station, a battery of police officers provided a human shield in an attempt to prevent their photographs being taken.
Before the three accused were carted off, a group of female supporters gathered at the police station and heckled members of the media.
One woman even attempted to hit a camera from a videographer's hand as he caught footage of the car which carried both men from the court.
But former junior minister, two co-accused spend another night in lock-up
Thursday, February 28, 2008
DESPITE being offered bail during a hastily-arranged court appearance yesterday, former state minister for energy, Kern Spencer and his two co-accused, Rodney Chin and Coleen Wright, could not avoid spending another night behind bars.
Due to the late hour of the ruling little time was left for the three to take up their bail applications but are expected to walk out of jail today if they meet the court's requirements. They will again appear in court on March 26 when the case will come up for mention.
The three are facing charges of fraud, corruption and money laundering in relation to the Cuban light bulb scandal, following allegations that $114 million was improperly spent on the distribution of four million energy-saving light bulbs - a gift from the Cuban Government.
The three accused were, at minutes to five yesterday afternoon, spirited away from the Corporate Area Resident Magistrate's Court after Resident Magistrate Glen Brown offered Spencer and Chin bail in the sum of $10 million each and Wright in the sum of $5 million.
All three were ordered fingerprinted by the magistrate and ordered to hand over their travel documents to the police. A stop order has also been made against them.
Claudette Thompson of the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions did not object to bail applications made by attorneys Patrick Atkinson, Valerie Neita-Robertson and Walter Fletcher, who represent Spencer, Chin and Wright, respectively.
During his bail application, Atkinson told the court that Spencer had voluntarily handed over a diplomatic passport and his Jamaican passport.
The attorney, at the same time, was scathing in his criticism of the prosecution, which he said did not furnish defence lawyers with details of the case.
"The written press has more details of the charges. I think this whole thing is orchestrated," Atkinson charged.
Spencer and Chin arrived at the court in Half-Way-Tree in a heavily tinted unmarked police car, and were without handcuffs as is normally the case for remandees when taken to the court by the police. Both men, in an effort to avoid media cameras, sprinted from the vehicle into the holding area with free hands.
Journalists and cameramen were initially barred from the courtroom by a plainclothes officer but after protests by reporters and the urging of Neita-Robertson and court staff, the bar was lifted.
The case was almost put off until today after the failure to bring in Wright by the scheduled 4:00 pm start. "I am not sitting at night court," RM Brown remarked.
Wright, dressed in a pair of blue jeans pants, a grey and white sweater and flip flop slippers arrived about 30 minutes into the sitting.
Spencer, who was dressed in a grey suit with a white shirt, but without socks, and Chin who wore a striped short sleeved shirt and blue jeans, both appeared calm when the case was called up.
When the magistrate ruled that the accused would be granted bail, Spencer and Wright flashed each other smiles and whispered in a huddle.
With the exception of caretaker for West Central St Andrew, Patrick Roberts, the courtroom was devoid of any other prominent member of Spencer's People's National Party (PNP).
After the three were fingerprinted, Wright, with a cover on her upper body, was pushed into a marked police vehicle which sped through the Half-Way-Tree Police Station. She is being held at the Duhaney Park Police Station, which only houses women detainees.
When it was time for Spencer and Chin to be taken to the Kingston Central Police Station, a battery of police officers provided a human shield in an attempt to prevent their photographs being taken.
Before the three accused were carted off, a group of female supporters gathered at the police station and heckled members of the media.
One woman even attempted to hit a camera from a videographer's hand as he caught footage of the car which carried both men from the court.
- Additional reporting by Vaughn Davis