published: Wednesday | July 16, 2008
THE CUBAN government appears to have claimed responsibility for most of
the bulbs the auditor general had identified as missing in his special
report on the Cuban light-bulb programme.
Michael Peart, opposition spokesman on mining and energy, read what he
said was an extract from a report on the Cuban light-bulb programme,
prepared by permanent secretary in the energy ministry, Dr Jean Dixon.
"The Cubans have said that the shortfall of 249,800 bulbs is the
responsibility of the Cuban government," Peart said in Parliament yesterday.
The Gleaner was made privy to the report prepared by Dixon, a section of
which read: "... I recovered from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and
Foreign Trade a copy of a note from the Embassy of Cuba in Jamaica which
advised of the shortfall of 249,800 bulbs in two shipments that were
sent to Jamaica from Cuba and confirming that the shortfall was the
responsibility of the Cuban side."
Up to press time last night, Dixon could not be reached for comments.
Missing bulbs
In January, a report prepared by then Auditor General Adrian Strachan
stated that about 176,380 of the four million bulbs donated by the Cuban
government were missing. The missing bulbs were estimated to have cost
$92 million.
The Cuban light-bulb programme, an energy saving initiative of the past
People's National Party administration, became shrouded in controversy
after the Jamaica Labour Party government took office last September.
Kern Spencer, the former state minister in the energy ministry who had
responsibility for the project, was jailed along with three others for
their role in the programme.
Despite the police reading out numerous charges of money laundering,
fraud and corruption, Director of Public Prosecutions Paula Llewellyn is
yet to formally charge the former government minister for his role in
the bulb distribution project which cost the country $276 million.
http://www.jamaica-gleaner.com/gleaner/20080716/lead/lead9.html
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