KERN SPENCER may have withheld information from party president Portia Simpson Miller when she demanded a report from him and Phillip Paulwell on the Cuban light bulb project.

Simpson Miller's demand for the report came after energy minister Clive Mullings revealed in Parliament that fraud may have been committed in the implementation of the energy-saving Cuban light-bulb project.

Following the receipt of the report, officers of the party met and reviewed it.

Donald Buchanan, who was the general secretary at the time, told The Gleaner that nothing in the report suggested that a criminal act was committed.

However, 118 days after the scandal broke Spencer, member of parliament for North East St Elizabeth, was slapped with nine criminal charges and jailed. He is charged with six counts of money laundering, two counts of conspiracy to defraud and one count of breaching the Corruption Prevention Act.

Buchanan told The Gleaner yesterday that he was surprised with the charges.

"Nothing in the report presented to us indicated that there was anything criminally incriminating," Buchanan said. "But l not going to pass judgement on him. I have faith in the judicial system and will wait to see what happens."

daraine.luton@gleanerjm.com