The excitation of a charge transfer band by a laser pulse of finite duration and the ensuing charge recombination are calculated in the framework of the perturbation theory. The influence of the spectral characteristics of the laser pulse on the charge recombination dynamics is investigated for models including several nuclear modes that differ greatly in their timescales. It is shown that, in the area of applicability of the perturbation theory, the variation of the pulse carrier frequency inside the absorption band can significantly change the effective charge recombination rate constant. (C) 2003 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.