BERMUDA Public Services Union leader Ed Ball said yesterday that if Pro-Active can back up its claims of "sabotage" by civil servants in the case of the Berkeley project, it should go to Cabinet Secretary John Drinkwater.

Mr. Ball (pictured) , whose union represents many civil servants, said the key factor was that civil servants should act only on directives given to them by Ministers.

Pro-Active alleged earlier this week that officials in the Ministry of Works & Engineering had sabotaged the company from early in their work on the school construction project.

On Wednesday, Premier Alex Scott said the claims had been investigated and found to be unfounded.

But yesterday Pro-Active legal adviser Julian Hall reiterated the allegations and cited documentary proof.

"The company does not care that the Government has denied it," Mr. Hall said. "We have a paper trail that is as long as an arm.

"There was a clear effort by some civil servants to sabotage the contract. Pro-Active will produce that paperwork as part of its claim for damages.

"Under the Westminster system, which doesn't work in Bermuda, Ministers of the Government are not allowed to criticise civil servants, even if they want to bring the Government down."

Mr. Ball said yesterday that the allegations were serious and had to be dealt with properly.

"Any proof of these serious allegations needs to be presented to the Secretary to the Cabinet," Mr. Ball said. "This is creating a very negative impression of a service that is supposed to be apolitical."

By Bermuda's Constitution, Public Sevice Commission regulations and the Civil Service Code of Conduct, civil servants were obliged to carry out the mandate of the Minister in whose department they served, Mr. Ball said.

"Civil servants are not supposed to make management decisions without authority. Certainly, if Mr. Hall does have information, I will be interested purely from the aspect of whose instruction these civil servants were acting upon.

"Perhaps there is more smoke than there is fire. But this matter needs to be dealt with."