A politician who criticised an order banning the media from airing further revelations about the Police probe into allegations of corruption at the BHC was told she too is gagged from talking about it.

Deputy United Bermuda Party leader Patricia Gordon-Pamplin was told by Speaker of the House Stanley Lowe that the matter is “sub judice” — i.e under consideration by the courts. This, he said, meant it could not be discussed according to the rules of the House of Assembly.

His warning came after Mrs. Gordon-Pamplin said concerns had expressed by the public “with respect to how quiet their voices have become. We believe, from our Opposition perspective we do not wish to see the silencing of the public.”

Her comments stemmed from moves on Thursday by Attorney General Phil Perinchief and the Police to stop further publication or broadcast of a leaked Police dossier on BHC.

According to Philip Perinchief the legal move was to “protect the reputations of your public officials from further unfair attack”. A closed hearing on the injunction application held before Chief Justice Richard Ground on Thursday night was adjourned until next week for further argument.

Mrs. Gordon-Pamplin described this as a “particularly egregious situation,” but her speech was then halted by the Speaker.

The court action arose just hours after the Foreign Office in London issued a joint statement from Sir John Vereker and Dr. Ewart Brown which apparently aimed to allay public concern over an escalating row between the pair. Dr. Brown warned the Governor in a televised address last week that Government would “suspend further business” with him if he did not ensure the source of the leaked dossier was tracked down.

The joint statement said Scotland Yard was being brought in to investigate the leak and the Premier had assured Sir John, who retires in October, his Government would continue to work with him.

Attempts to uncover the mole have already led to a raid by Police at Bermuda Broadcasting Company and a visit by senior officers to the offices of the Mid-Ocean News, sister paper of The Royal Gazette.

Also commenting on the BHC probe leak and the ensuing potential constitutional crisis — which has hit the headlines around the world — was United Bermuda Party MP Maxwell Burgess.

Complaining there had been scaremongering by the media over the spat that “put Bermuda’s reputation at risk,” Mr. Burgess described comments by former UBP Home Affairs Minister Quinton Edness and former Premier Alex Scott as bordering on criminal in his view.

In Thursday’s edition of this newspaper, Mr. Edness claimed that giving the Government total control of the Police — as Public Safety Minister David Burch has called for — would create “a tremendous conflict and lead us more and more towards a dictatorship.”

Meanwhile, Mr. Scott warned the situation could spiral into “a local version of what happened in...southern Rhodesia; a Unilateral Declaration of Independence”. Mr. Burgess described media coverage as containing “raw politics” and said he “watched Bermuda at the brink of people questioning our stability” after the news of the potential crisis broke, with people “running to get the paper and turning on the news”. However, he added that the public should be reassured that Bermuda has “survived for the last 400 years” and “we are fair, reasonable right thinking people”.

In a further topic raised during the Motion to Adjourn, Mrs. Gordon-Pamplin defended the fact that she was chosen to represent the United Bermuda Party at the funeral of PLP legend Dame Lois Browne Evans this week. In comments she did not fully explain in the House — but later told The Royal Gazette were prompted by critical remarks on radio talk shows — Mrs. Gordon-Pamplin said she possessed high self-esteem and “I will not permit anybody to deflect that level of confidence that I have”.