After passing a bill increasing the amount of Bermuda Government scholarship money, Senators clashed over Government's overtures towards Cuba at yesterday's meeting in the Upper Chamber.

And leading the Opposition's charge during the motion to adjourn, Senator Kim Swan warned Housing Minister David Burch not to make good his threat to publicly expose in the Senate those who had defrauded the Bermuda Housing Corporation (BHC).

Sen. Swan told his Senate colleagues that a courtroom was a more appropriate forum to sort out the fraudsters and that using Parliamentary privilege would be bringing the Senate chamber into disrepute.

The threat was reportedly made by Sen. Burch this week at a Press conference during which he revealed that a consultant hired by Bermuda Housing Corporation (BHC) to source empty property sold a home to the corporation for a $65,000 profit after buying it two months earlier.

He said that BHC lawyers had been instructed to get the $65,000 back and then suggested that fraudsters would be publicly exposed during a senate meeting.

Sen. Swan referred to the comments as a "cavalier, cowboy justice" approach because accused people had the right to be heard and fully represented.

"It would bring the senate into disrepute and we would vociferously object to any attempt to do so."

On Cuba he said that Bermuda would do well to remember and safeguard its relationship with the United States. Cuba, America's long-time nemesis, has come under renewed criticism lately for human rights violations.

And Government's recent decision to send second hand buses to the Caribbean nation and pursue cultural links has not gone down well with US Consul Dennis Coleman who said that the move could risk harming the Island's good relations with his country. Senator Calvin Smith told the Senate that he did not know why Bermuda was being singled out for sending buses to Cuba. Bermuda had earned the right to do what it wanted to do within the law, and had not achieved its success by being granted favours by the United States, he said. "I don't see why we've got to be beholden to anybody," he explained after the sitting.

"When the tourists don't like what we're doing they stop coming. It has nothing to do with US policy - it's simply a business transaction between Bermuda and them. The same applies to international business. I personally was very upset by the pronouncements of the US Government. And I do believe that the American people would be displeased if they knew their government was threatening the most friendly and peaceful people. We don't ask for any favours so I don't know why the US Consul is making threats."

Asked why he viewed Mr. Coleman's comments as threats, he said that his comments were picked up by the Opposition as threatening to Bermuda's economy.

"Certainly what I'm saying is what we are doing does not deserve that. Dealing with Cuba is a straight quid pro quo."

He dismissed the Opposition's criticism as electioneering, saying that the party had not been so sensitive to US feelings when the Bases handover deal was signed.

"And now when we decide to transact with a country with which America has some concerns they go the other direction. They have forgotten that our imperial master England does business with Cuba and so does Canada."

He added that the row may be leading others who had not visited the Island to believe that Bermuda was a "nasty little communist state" and that was being fed by the Opposition. On the housing flap he said that the Minister was proceeding in a timely manner on cleaning up a situation that had festered under the former government.

"So what they are doing is again pure electioneering."

Sen. Swan stressed Cuba's human rights violations yesterday.