Christie jabs DPP over Cuban light bulb trial ruling

Jerome Reynolds, Staff Reporter



KINGSTON, Jamaica:

Former Contractor General Greg Christie has levelled criticism at the Director of Public Prosecutions, Paula Llewellyn, following the ruling in the Cuban light bulb trial.



Former junior energy minister Kern Spencer and his former personal assistant Colleen Wright were yesterday freed of corruption and money laundering charges after Senior Resident Magistrate Judith Pusey upheld a no-case submission from defence attorneys.



Attorneys K.D. Knight and Deborah Martin had argued that the matter should be dismissed because the prosecution had failed to make out a prima facie case, prosecutorial misconduct and their clients' inability to get a fair trial.



The prosecution had denied the arguments.



Speaking on social media site Twitter yesterday, Christie said the office of the DPP had failed to secure a corruption conviction against a senior public officer under Llewelyn's leadership.

There have been no senior public officer corruption convictions under DPP Paula Llewelyn's leadership. SSP Daley's conviction was set aside.

— Greg Christie (@Greg0706) March 24, 2014

He pointed out that the only ruling she secured in her favour was later overturned by a higher court.



The former contractor general was speaking about the conviction of Superintendent Harry 'Bungles' Daley which was later set aside.



Last May, the Court of Appeal entered a verdict of acquittal in relation to Daley’s conviction for breaching the Corruption Prevention Act and set aside his 18 months' prison sentence.



During his tenure in office Christie and Llewellyn had been embroiled in public spats over matters referred to her office by him.



NOTE: This post has been updated to include the word 'corruption' in the fifth paragraph of the article.



WATCH: Kern Spencer free of corruption charges

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