KERN SPENCER, who caused eyebrows to be raised last week when he returned to Gordon House to sit with the other members of parliament (MPs), says he turned up because he had a constituency that needs representation.

"I still represent the people of North East St Elizabeth and I went to Parliament not only to sit in on their behalf, but also to speak to a couple of ministers," Spencer tells The Sunday Gleaner.

The North East St Elizabeth MP is at the centre of a criminal investigation and is facing multiple charges of fraud, money laundering and corruption

On Wednesday, he returned to the Parliament, the first time since being arrested in February.

Spencer had applied for six weeks leave of absence from the legislature to deal with his legal troubles. The period has since elapsed. Since then, Spencer has missed two sittings of the House of Representatives. A seat becomes vacant if an MP misses eight consecutive sittings of the House.

Cuban light-bulb saga

Spencer's legal problem surrounds his role in the Cuban light-bulb project. As state minister in the energy ministry during the reign of the last PNP administration, he exercised control over an energy-saving light-bulb project which cost $276 million to implement. However, both the contractor general and the auditor general have uncovered breaches in the government's procurement policies and investigations have suggested that Spencer benefited improperly from the implementation of the project, hence his facing the courts.

When Spencer turned up in Parliament on Wednesday, he sat quietly on the Opposition backbenches. He penned a few notes, two of which were sent to Dr Peter Phillips, leader of opposition business, and one to Everald Warmington, minister of state in the ministry of water and housing.

Serious water problems

Spencer tells The Sunday Gleaner that it was necessary for him to see Warmington as communities in his constituency were calling for the minister's intervention.

"We have serious water problems in Santa Cruz, Siloah and Braes River. I came in to have dialogue with the minister about that," Spencer explains.

He added that he had received word that agriculture minister Christopher Tufton would be announcing the Government's commitment to promoting cassava farming.

"I needed to be there for that. A section of my constituency, a place called Goshen, has a special interest in cassava. We have an old cassava factory there and would love if Government resurrected it as part of the cassava project," Spencer discloses.

Spencer had settled into his seat almost unnoticed when Government member James Robertson walked in and saw him.

"Kern, what you doing here? Tek weh yuh self! Yuh have a nerve!" said Robertson.

Spencer, however, tells The Sunday Gleaner that he would be making regular trips to Gordon House to sit with the other MPs. The criminal charges against him will again be mentioned on May 16