Bermuda is already on a hitlist of dodgy financial jurisdictions, UK political insiders claimed yesterday.

And they insisted a Paris-based international financial watchdog had already targeted the Island -- even before the results of their probe into so-called "harmful tax'' havens is completed.

Yesterday a spokesman for the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development was staying tight-lipped over the shock allegation.

He said the official hitlist will not be published until the end of the year or the beginning of next year.

But -- according to the OECD definition -- Bermuda's booming international sector would appear to be caught in the net.

The OECD spokesman said: "Last year, the OECD indicated its intention to look into the way offshore centres run their tax affairs.

"They are doing this to see if there were predatory tax advantages being offered to people to put their money in one place rather than another for reasons not justified by the local economy of the jurisdictions concerned.

"Bermuda is one of the countries under scrutiny -- but no conclusions have yet been published.'' The spokesman added that the OECD was currently examining a list of more than 30 countries, including Bermuda.

He said: "Some of these places will probably be able to justify their existence.

"But then others will have to do some more justifying -- Bermuda may well be among the latter category, but I can't say at this stage.'' The spokesman added: "That may well be the case -- but until the list is published, I can't say that it is.

"It's still part of the work in progress and there is still time for Bermuda to get off it.'' And he insisted: "I wouldn't want to prejudge the outcome of the study -- the official answer is that there is not yet an answer.'' The spokesman said the OECD was currently drawing up a full definition of "predatory tax'' behaviour.

Bermuda came under the OECD's spotlight last year -- and is also under scrutiny by the UN, as well as Britain and its EU partners.

The Royal Gazette exclusively revealed last year that the Island faced landing on an OECD hitlist.

Then-Premier Pamela Gordon said there appeared to be a growing drive towards "shifting the offshore sector back onshore''.

And the UK -- a member of the OECD, the EU and the UN -- earlier this year in its White Paper rewrite of its relation with its colonies signalled that Bermuda's offshore industry would come under the microscope in the international battle against hi-tech white collar crime and drugs money.

The White Paper offered full UK citizenship to citizens of the Overseas Territories, together with a warning on financial regulation -- although Foreign Secretary Robin Cook insisted the two were not linked.

Mr. Cook said the UK would prefer the colonies got their own houses in order -- but did not rule out the UK legislating for the colonies if they failed to toe the international line.