Former junior minister in the Ministry of Industry, Technology, Energy and Commerce, Kern Spencer, and his two co-accused in the Cuban light-bulb saga will face trial on some of the related charges, on September 15.

However, Director of Public Prosecutions Paula Llewellyn, QC, told The Gleaner yesterday that she wanted to make it abundantly clear that no charges had been dropped against the three accused.

Spencer, Colleen Wright and businessman Rodney Chin are accused of conspiracy to defraud and breaches of the Money Laundering and Corruption Prevention acts.

The Cuban light-bulb programme cost the Jamaican Government more than $276 million to distribute four million free bulbs.

In court yesterday, Llewellyn told Senior Resident Magistrate Glen Brown that she had elected to proceed with the charges under the Money Laundering and Corruption Prevention acts on September 15.

She explained that the conspiracy to defraud charges were going to remain on the file until the end of the trial and then she would decide what to do in respect of those charges.

Llewellyn told The Gleaner that the conspiracy to defraud charges were indictable offences and that, as a matter of law, they could not be tried with the other offences which were brought summarily on information.

She said there was a technicality in criminal practice that prohibited the cases from being tried together.

Spencer, Wright and Chin were arrested and charged in February this year. They are on bail and will be tried in the Corporate Area Resident Magistrate's Court.