Jurors hearing the case of Terrence Smith, the former Bermuda Housing Corporation worker accused of a $1.3 million fraud, will look around his luxury home later this week.

Chief Justice Richard Ground announced the move yesterday after a request from the jury who want to see the mansion in Tee Street, Devonshire, upon which Smith is alleged to have lavished much of the cash. He explained that although the defendant had the right to veto the tour, he had consented.

Former BHC Property Officer Smith is accused of directing $1.3 million of BHC funds to carpenter Steven Barbosa by rubber-stamping overpayments for his work between September 2000 and February 2002. Mr. Barbosa is said to have passed $924,668 in profits from this scam back to Smith in the form of cash and luxury goods for his home. The trial has heard about a number of purchases made for the house around the time of the alleged fraud, including a $96,000 home movie theatre and a $10,000 fountain.

Giving evidence yesterday, Guy Desilva said that his company Island Wide Construction had been engaged by Smith to work on his 40ft x 20ft swimming pool in February 2001. The renovations included putting lights into the pool and creating what Mr. Desilva described as a cave inside it.

The value of the contract signed was $54,212.50 and other work commissioned by Smith ran up an extra $50,000 to $60,000 bill, said Mr. Desilva. He told the court that Smith paid him a mixture of cash ? at one time handing over $18,000 during a meeting in a parking lot ? and cheques. The contractor said that he had received all of the money except for $5,000, which he described as "a discrepancy".

Mark Henneberger, owner of Sticks and Stones, said his company installed a Virginia cedar staircase at Tee Street costing $38,218 in summer 2001. He added that $824 of this bill failed to be settled by Smith and was written off as a bad debt.

John Bento, general manager of Star Motors, said that Smith bought a $50,000 BMW station wagon in British racing green in June 1999. The defendant made cash and cheque payments but the company initiated legal proceedings against him for the $300 balance that he owed. He settled this bill plus legal fees ? a total of $2,266 ? in January 2003.

Smith denies 46 counts of obtaining property by false pretences, and the case continues.