One of the Caribbean's top lawyers is set to defend Terrence Smith when he is re-tried on allegations of defrauding the Bermuda Housing Corporation.

News that Sir Richard Cheltenham QC has been "tentatively engaged" to work on the case was revealed by Smith's local lawyer, Llewellyn Peniston, at the monthly Supreme Court arraignments session yesterday.

Sir Richard, 66, has twice served as acting Prime Minister of his home country of Barbados and is a member of the Bar of several countries across the Caribbean.

Mr. Peniston told Chief Justice Richard Ground that he hopes Smith, 48, will have his defence case ready for a re-trial in November. However, he warned that there may be several pre-trial reviews and applications before then.

Smith, a former BHC property officer, was convicted of defrauding the BHC out of $1.2 million in March 2006 and sentenced to eight years in jail. However, the Court of Appeal quashed his conviction last November, after deciding he did not receive a fair trial.

The Appeals judges ruled that the foreman of the jury which convicted him, businessman Gerald Simons, was potentially biased due to being the half brother of former BHC chairwoman Valerie Dill.

Smith, of Euclid Avenue, Pembroke, was represented by Bermuda lawyer Patricia Harvey and British Queen's Counsel Patrick O'Connor during his appeal. He has since transferred his services to Mr. Peniston.

The Chief Justice granted the defendant bail, and will review the re-trial arrangements at the next arraignments session on August 4.

In another matter dealt with at yesterday's arraignments session, David Brangman, 44, of Greenwich Lane, Devonshire, pleaded not guilty to gun and drug charges dating back more than five years

He is accused of importing a 0.40 calibre semi-automatic pistol, eight rounds of 0.40 calibre bullets and an unspecified amount of cannabis between December 16 and December 19, 2002.

Brangman was granted bail, and a trial date will be set when he returns to court on August 4.

Additionally, a disabled man convicted last month of importing more than $300,000 of cocaine in FedEx packages will be sentenced on July 16. Raynol Todd, 51, asked his friend Andre Hill, 53, to pick up the parcels on Christmas Eve 2004 as a favour because he has a bad back.

Hill was cleared of importation charges by the same jury that convicted Todd on June 18.

The latter, who entered court yesterday using a frame to help him walk, was remanded into custody until his sentencing hearing.