A memo released by the Ministry of Finance shows that Accountant-General Curtis Stovell approved the Bermuda Government to waive financial instructions on its early deals for an airport redevelopment.

However, Shadow Finance Minister David Burt, who heads the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) now examining the airport project, insisted that the present airport development agreement never had Mr Stovell’s permission to go ahead as a sole sourced arrangement.

“It does not matter what the minister says — financial instructions are there to be followed and the person there to ensure that is the Accountant-General,” Mr Burt said.

He was referring to the release on Thursday night by Bob Richards, the Minister of Finance, of the September 2014 memo from Mr Stovell to Anthony Manders, the Financial Secretary, covering the memorandum of understanding and letter of agreement for the project.

“He made it clear that this only covers the first stage, and that any additional agreements have to be ratified by him,” Mr Burt said. “Neither the Minister of Finance nor his Cabinet has the power to deviate from financial instructions. If he wants to deviate from them, he has to change them. He does not have the power to ignore them.”

The communication was released after Mr Stovell’s appearance before the PAC on Thursday, in which he said he had not been asked or had granted permission for the bypassing of instructions on the airport development agreement.