Former Minister Nelson Bascome yesterday appeared in court to deny stealing more than $75,000 through business dealings.

The Pembroke East Central MP, 51, also faces a separate charge of corruption in a position of public office — involving securing public housing for a business associate during his spell as Minister with responsibility for housing — Magistrates’ Court was told.

Senior Magistrate Archibald Warner read two allegations of theft to Mr. Bascome, with the Progressive Labour Party politician pleading not guilty to each.

In the first charge, he is accused of stealing $56,000 which was entrusted to him by the Bank of Bermuda for business purposes between September 2003 and February 2004.

In the second, he is charged with stealing $20,000 from the Natural Business Company, of which he was a director, in March 2004.

The third charge relates to Mr. Bascome’s period as Health and Family Services Minister, with responsibility for housing, after the PLP came to power in November, 1998.

It alleges he corruptly obtained a business opportunity relating to the invention of a water filtration system.

The charge claims that, in the duties of his office, Mr. Bascome secured public housing for the water filtration system inventor Robert Smith between November, 1998 and December, 1999.

The former Minister did not enter a plea on the corruption charge.

In a hearing lasting more than two hours, Mr. Bascome’s lawyer Victoria Pearman debated with Crown counsel Robert Welling, Senior Crown counsel Paula Tyndale and Mr. Warner over which court should deal with the corruption charge. It was finally decided that charge alone would be handled in Supreme Court.

Mr. Bascome was bailed for $1,000 to reappear at Magistrates’ Court at a three-day trial over the theft allegations, beginning on September 19.

He stepped down from his second spell as Health Minister in February when a file was passed by Police to the Department of Public Prosecutions.

A drug abuse counsellor by profession, Mr. Bascome has been a Member of Parliamnet since 1989.

Outside court yesterday, Mr. Bascome said his lawyer had advised him not to comment. Ms Pearman said: “Anything we have to say will be said in the courts, not the press.”