What accountability looks like: Shedding light on politicians' crimes

I will not say more than I am pleased to see that the case against former minister Kern Spencer has reached a point that will truly test Jamaica's criminal, judicial and parliamentary systems. Reports from Jamaica indicate that charges have now been laid against the former minister in the "Cuban light bulb scandal" and he has been arrested along with several associates. The current Minister of Energy, Clive Mullins is reported to have said he is "not surprised" and called this a "dark day" for Jamaica; it was he who brought the issue to public attention with a statement to the House of Representatives last year.

Mr. Spencer, the former Minister of State for Energy, who had recently sought leave of absence from Parliament, is now facing three charges of conspiracy to defraud, one charge for breaching the Prevention of Corruption Act, and three charges for breaching the Money Laundering Act. Also charged are Rodney Chin and Coleen Wright. Mr. Chin is facing two counts of conspiracy to defraud and two counts of breaches of the Prevention of Corruption Act. He is the managing director of Universal Management and Development Limited and Caribbean Communications Media Network Limited. Ms. Wright, a supervisor at the Petroleum Corporation of Jamaica who also worked as Mr. Spencer's personal assistant, is charged with two counts of conspiracy to defraud, one for breaching the Prevention of Corruption Act, and four money-laundering offences.

Convictions for breaching the Prevention of Corruption Act carry a fine of up to J$1 million and or imprisonment of up to two years. A breach of the Money Laundering Act, which involves the transfer of property from Jamaica to overseas, of which Mr. Spencer is accused, could bring jail time of up to five years, and a fine of up to J$1 million.

More details will emerge as criminal proceedings move ahead, but in January, the auditor-general reported that about 176,380 of the four million bulbs, costing approximately J$92 million, could not be accounted for, while there was an absence of an effective system of budgetary control resulting in the making of payments and the incurring of unpaid obligations of J$185.3 million over the approved financial support of the Petroleum Corporation of Jamaica.

Mr. Spencer is not the first sitting member of Jamaica's parliament to face criminal charges, but they have been very few.

This latest case should shed light on what kind of government Bruce Golding is leading and what kind of democratic country Jamaica really is. It may also spark a heated and timely public discussion about what the two major parties represent on the corruption issue. Many blame the PNP's failure to shed more light and come clean on this: many will remember the series of scandals: the Netserve scandal; the Operation Pride scandal; the Solutrea scandal; the Trafigura. These and an apparent indifference to accusations of corruption were seen by some as a major factor behind their recent election defeat, and the issue had been raised from the start of the Simpson-Miller administration (see Gleaner report).