THE CASE against North East St Elizabeth Member of Parliament Kern Spencer has been adjourned until November 17.

Spencer is accused of using his position as a government minister to influence the awards of government contracts under the Cuban light-bulb project to obtain an illicit benefit for himself and others.

Along with his companion, Coleen Wright, Spencer is charged with money laundering and corruption.

The trial of the matter has hit a snag since the director of public prosecutions (DPP) revealed the discovery of new evidence in the form of audio recordings.

Difficulty transcribing audio

The audio recordings were done by Rodney Chin, a former co-accused-turned-prosecution witness. The court has been told that Chin made 25 recordings of telephone conversations between himself and Spencer and two recordings between him and Sherine Shakes, the mother of one of Spencer's children.

When Spencer and Wright appeared in court yesterday, DPP Paula Llewellyn said the Crown had not yet transcribed all the audio material. She said 18 conversations had been transcribed and that the remaining nine would be done in the coming weeks.

"The going has been rough because of the rich quality of the Jamaican Creole," Llewellyn told the court.

Authenticity of tape

Spencer's defence counsel has said they have only been served with CD recordings. They say they have not been furnished with statements about how the tapes came into being and from the computer expert who transferred the files from Chin's cellular phone to the CDs.

Deborah Martin, one of Spencer's attorneys, has said that her client has challenged the authenticity of the recordings.

"Our instructions are that they may have been edited," Martin said.

Spencer has said that he has not received a penny and that neither he nor his companies benefited from the implementation of the light-bulb project, which cost $276 million.