Daraine Luton, Staff Reporter

The People's National Party (PNP) review committee has found that there was no fraud in the controversial Cuban light bulb programme.

"It is obvious that there are certain procedures that were not followed with respect to the implementation of the programme," the PNP's general secretary Donald Buchanan told The Gleaner yesterday. "But on that matter (fraud), we found no evidence."

Buchanan stated further that he saw no reason why former ministers of the PNP administration, Kern Spencer and Phillip Paulwell, should worry.

Enormous cost

Both Spencer and Paulwell, now Opposition Members of Parliament, became embroiled in controversy over the distribution of free energy-saving light bulbs after Clive Mullings, the Energy Minister, told Parliament that the implementation of the light-bulb project had come at enormous cost to the country.

Mullings disclosed that it had cost more than $276.5 million to distribute the light bulbs, which were donated by the Cuban Government as part of efforts to cut Jamaica's growing energy bill.

More than $49 million was spent to transport, house and provide stipends to Cuban volunteers, who Mullings said were already given a stipend by the Cuban Government. The volunteers came to Jamaica at the invitation of the previous political administration.

But though Spencer and Paulwell are off the hook internally, they face their sternest test in broad-based national investigations.

Mullings last week informed Parliament that the police Fraud Squad was probing the matter. The Contractor General and Auditor General were subsequently called in to investigate the distribution of the light bulbs. The Director of Public Prosecutions was also asked to undertake proceedings into a matter which Mullings said "raises questions of fraud".

Prevented from responding

Spencer, who had direct responsibility for the project, cried in Parliament last Thursday. He said that he wanted to respond to Mullings, but was prevented due to the party's position.

Meanwhile, Opposition Leader Portia Simpson Miller had demanded that Paulwell, the former Energy Minister, and Spencer, then his deputy, both provide her with reports.

A committee comprising Dr. Omar Davies, Dr. Peter Phillips, A.J. Nicholson, Lisa Hanna, Donald Buchanan and Easton Douglas was appointed to review the reports. Robert Pickersgill, as chairman of the party, also sat on the review committee.