response to an allegation that he has been attempting to have the ruling party sanction PLP spokesman Corey Butterfield for public comments made in connection with a Human Rights Commission complaint brought by the Hardell Group.

Meanwhile questions persist over the handling of the complaint and its current status.

But the Commission's acting executive director David Wilson insists that the Commission's integrity is still intact despite that and other unanswered allegations in connection with the case.

"It's like running into someone you know to be a person of integrity and on this one occasion you see a blip. I don't think you take the view that this person no longer has integrity,'' Mr. Wilson said, speaking specifically about the Commission.

Last month, as a result of legal action taken by Harold Darrell, CEO of the Hardell Group, a consent order was issued by the Supreme Court ordering the Commission to reopen and hear a complaint alleging racial discrimination brought by the company.

The company had alleged that improper influence was exerted on the Commission to dismiss the case against the directors of the Bank of Bermuda without a hearing.

Hardell has also alleged that it was the Minister of Development and Opportunity Terry Lister himself who attempted to tamper with the case.

MP and Shadow Development and Opportunity Minister Allan Marshall demanded at the time that Mr. Lister conduct an investigation into the matter which would reassure the public that the integrity of the Commission was still intact.

But Mr. Lister, under whose portfolio the Commission falls, in response to Mr.

Marshall's call.

The latest development of the saga has Mr. Darrell accusing Mr. Lister of "victimising'' his employee Corey Butterfield, also the Progressive Labour Party's official spokesperson, by lobbying PLP officials to sanction him.

In a letter to the Minister which was copied to the media, Mr. Darrell upped the ante by challenging Mr. Lister to publicly deny that he was involved in "unethical'' behaviour with regards to the complaint and sue him for libel, "or immediately send my human rights complaint to a Board of Inquiry'' and "appoint an Acting Minister for the appeal process and step aside''.

Neither the Minister nor Neville Darrell would explain why Mr. Darrell, who was the Human Rights Commission's executive director at the time, is now working at the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions.

In the aftermath of the Supreme Court order when asked why he was no longer at the Commission, Mr. Darrell told The Royal Gazette that the matter was "sensitive'' and it was "unwise'' for him to make any comment .

This week when asked if he had any concerns about negative fallout from the recent events, Mr. Wilson said he was sure that the public had full confidence in the integrity of the Human Rights Commission.

"The Commission's record is a good one,'' he said. "In no way, in my view is the integrity of the Commission damaged... If there has been a procedural cock-up, it certainly would not damage the integrity of the Commission. We've done the people's work for far too long.'' But he refused to comment when asked whether it might be useful to have an inquiry into the Hardell case.

He also said he did not know why Neville Darrell was no longer at the Commission.

"You're wasting your time,'' said Mr. Lister, who has ministerial responsibility for the Human Rights Commission, when The Royal Gazette broached the subject.