Fireworks promised in Spencer trial

The corruption trial of former junior minister Kern Spencer ended abruptly in the Half-Way Tree Resident Magistrate Court yesterday, but defence attorney K.D. Knight is promising fireworks when the case resumes today.

"You know how I do my cross-examinations. I start with fire, cool off and end up blazing," Knight, attorney for Spencer's co-accused, Coleen Wright, hinted to reporters yesterday.

He is expected to wrap up his cross-examination of star prose-cution witness Rodney Chin today.

"I am more tactical," responded Director of Public Prosecution Paula Llewellyn.

Full of gaps

The sudden adjournment this time was to give defence lawyers time to listen to one of the tape recordings made by Chin and compare it with the transcripts handed to them in court yesterday by Llewellyn.

Standing next to Llewellyn, Knight explained to reporters that the transcripts were "full of gaps".

As a result, it was agreed that junior attorneys on both sides would listen to the recordings in court yesterday, allowing for today's resumption.

During yesterday's cross-examination, the exchanges between Knight and Chin got testy several times as they went over cheques and company documents Chin had signed.

At one point, Knight shouted a question to Chin, who responded "when you shout you scare me".

"What scares me is that you can't seem to recall the answers to my questions," Knight shot back.

He also got Chin to concede that no one ever informed him that Wright was 'running' any of the companies implicated in the Cuban light-bulb programme.