Businessman Harold Darrell's long-awaited human rights hearing got off to a false start yesterday, after it was adjourned by Human Rights Tribunal chairman Paul King to allow Mr. Darrell time to produce a list of witnesses.

Mr. Darrell has been fighting for four years to have his racial discrimination allegations against 16 past and present directors of the Bank of Bermuda heard.

Mr. Darrell, a former bank customer, alleges that a business deal turned sour in 1996 after a bank employee leaked confidential information about his personal account to the party he was negotiating with.

He claims repeated attempts to have the confidentiality breach investigated by the bank were rebuffed or ignored, and that this was racially motivated.

The 16 past and present bank directors named in Mr. Darrell's complaint are those who sat on the board in June, 2000 when Mr. Darrell made his complaint to the bank.

W. Paul King, chairman of the three-person tribunal appointed to hear the matter, said he would re-open the Board of Inquiry this morning, with the adjournment also made to allow Mr. Darrell's lawyer, Anthony Cottle of Peniston & Associates, the chance to better prepare, after Mr. Cottle said he had not had the chance to read all materials prepared for the hearing.

Mr. Cottle was appointed on September 16, with Mr. Darrell having previously been represented by lawyer Delroy Duncan and well-known QC Cherie Booth Blair.

Mr. Duncan is off the Island for personal reasons, Mr. Darrell's spokesman Corey Butterfield said yesterday.

Also sitting on the Tribunal are Vonda Burgess and Raymond Baptiste.

Sonja Salmon, senior legal counsel for the Bank of Bermuda, said she was glad for the decision to adjourn the matter until today because the bank has yet to see the list of witnesses Mr. Darrell intends to bring forward.

She said the bank received witness statements late on Tuesday, despite an agreement made earlier by both parties to submit pre-hearing materials on September 14.

The hearing is expected to continue through the end of next week.