Gareth Manning, Gleaner Writer

SPENCER

Embattled former Junior Minister for Energy, Kern Spencer, is to undergo another round of questioning by the police today, the third time in five days.

Spencer, 33, the member of parliament for North East St Elizabeth, is being investigated in connection with alleged irregularities under the programme to distribute four million free Cuba light bulbs.

The programme racked up an expenditure of more than $276 million.

Free of charge

The project, an energy-saving bid by the former Simpson Miller administration, was geared to provide Jamaicans with fluorescent bulbs free of charge.

Contractor General Greg Christie, in a report tabled in Parliament recently, indicated that there were breaches of the Corruption Prevention Act in the awarding of contracts to a company incorporated just about the time the project was slated to get off the ground.

Universal Management and Development Company Limited (UMD) was hand-picked, the contractor general contends, to distribute the bulbs. Businessman Rodney Chin is chief shareholder of UMD, while the project manager is Sherine Shakes, mother of Spencer's children.

Shakes' mother, Verdie Mair, was also involved in the project. She is listed as UMD's company secretary.

gareth.manning@gleanerjm.com