Light bulb programme ends

The Cuban government says it will be discontinuing the Cuban light bulb programme, under which it supplied energy saving bulbs to the island.



Cuban President, Raul Castro made the announcement yesterday as Caribbean leaders wrapped up the third Cuba-CARICOM Summit, in Santiago, Cuba yesterday.



Information out of the summit did not indicate the reason for the decision.



However, the programme is also being discontinued in St Lucia, Guyana, Haiti and St Vincent and the Grenadines.



There has been controversy surrounding the programme here after it was discovered that the government had incurred $276 million in costs to distribute the 4 million free Cuban light bulbs.



Former state minister for energy, Kern Spencer, and two others are facing fraud and money laundering charges in relation to the matter.