Paul Henry, Observer staff reporter
Posted: 9/9/2009 3:40:34 PM
THE highly anticipated testimony of former accused turned crown witness
in the Cuban Light bulb Trial, Rodney Chin, was today adjourned until
tomorrow.
Chin's evidence was postponed due to a challenge to prevent his former
lawyers from continuing to sit in court during the proceedings.
The defence had earlier stated its intent to call the lawyers – Richard
Small and Dale Heron – as witnesses and as such had objected to their
presence.
Patrick Atkinson, one of the attorneys representing the accused – former
junior energy minister Kern Spencer and his then assistant Coleen Wright
– today made an application, asking Senior Magistrate Judith Pusey to
instruct Small and Heron to leave the court. Atkinson also asked Pusey
to bound over the men to return on a date when they would be needed,
based on the fact that the attorneys were served with subpoenas.
But the magistrate refused the request, noting that Small and Heron were
improperly served on the court building.
However, Atkinson countered that given the circumstances she had the
authority to bound them over. The magistrate again refused and asked
Atkinson to provide authority or case law stating that this can be done.
Spencer, Wright and businessman Chin were arrested in February 2008
following a probe into the distribution of the bulbs. Spencer oversaw
the islandwide distribution of the four million energy-saving bulbs,
which were a gift from the Cuban Government in 2005, and which allegedly
cost taxpayers $114 million.
The charges against Chin were dropped and he is now a prosecution witness.
Spencer and Wright are charged with breaching the Corruption Prevention
Act and the Proceeds of Crime Act in their dealing with the project. The
prosecution is contending they benefited to the tune of millions of dollars.
Both accused pleaded not guilty to the charges against them on Monday.
Cuban Light bulb Trial delayed : Latest News - JamaicaObserver.com (11
September 2009)
http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/tools/breakingnews/bnm.asp?bn=2465
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