Rodney Chin, one of three persons charged in connection with the Cuban light-bulb programme, makes his way from a police service vehicle to the holding area of the Corporate Area Resident Magistrate's Court, Half-Way Tree, St Andrew, on February 27, 2008. - Rudolph Brown/Chief Photographer

The Director of public prosecutions (DPP) is set to withdraw all charges against businessman Rodney Chin when he returns to court on Monday for the scheduled start of the Cuban light-bulb trial.

Chin will instead testify for the State against his co-accused Kern Spencer and Colleen Wright.

Government sources yesterday confirmed that Chin provided investigators with a statement last November and agreed to testify against Spencer and Wright. In return, the Office of the DPP decided to drop the charges against him.

Chin, who is the managing director of Universal Management Company and Caribbean Commu-nications and Media Network Ltd, is charged with one count of money laundering, two counts of breaching the Corruption Preven-tion Act and two counts of conspiracy to defraud.

He is now on bail in the sum of $10 million.

Yesterday, Richard Small, the attorney representing Chin, con-firmed the reports reaching The Gleaner but directed the news team to DPP Paula Llewellyn for more information.

Yesterday, Llewellyn was terse when contacted by The Gleaner.

"I have no comment to make on the issue at this time, except to say that the Crown is ready to start the case on Monday," she said.

In the meantime, Patrick Atkinson, one of the lawyers representing Spencer, refused to comment on the report.

"I can't comment until it is officially placed before the court on Monday. After that, I will speak to the issue," Atkinson told The Gleaner.

However, the sources claimed that Atkinson and the other attorneys representing Spencer were presented with Chin's statement and informed that he would testify against their client from late last year.

Spencer, Chin and Wright were charged last February by detectives from the Organised Crime Investigation Division, as investigations into the Cuban light-bulb scandal intensified.

Spencer, the member of parliament for North East St Elizabeth, is accused of acting improperly when, as state minister in the energy ministry, under the People's National Party Govern-ment, he exercised control over the distribution of free energy-saving light bulbs given to Jamaica by the government of Cuba.

The project had cost $276 million to be implemented but the contractor general and the police later found a number of suspected irregularities in the awarding of contracts.

Spencer, who has kept his seat in the house, is on $10 million bail while Wright, his former personal assistant, is on $5 million.