Lawyer Trevor Moniz came back into the United Bermuda Party fold last year after almost four years in the wilderness when he was suspended then had the whip withdrawn.

Mr. Moniz, the shadow Transport Minister, has a reputation as an independent thinker who has campaigned for transparency, a register of MPs' interests, and the rights of the Portuguese community and long-term residents.

The maverick MP was elected in Smith's South in 1993 and was re-elected in 1998. He ran into trouble with the UBP hierarchy in 1999 and was suspended for not attending caucus meetings.

Educated at Saltus Grammar and King's College, London, he was called to the Bar of England and Wales in 1976. He was called to the Bermuda Bar the following year.

Mr. Moniz was awarded a Commonwealth Scholarship and took a Graduate Diploma in Business Administration in 1979. He then worked in London and travelled to Europe, returning to Bermuda in 1980.

He established his own practice in 1982 and formed Moniz and George in 1986, which became Moniz, George and LaVigne in 1997. He has served as Secretary and President of Bermuda Bar Association.

In 1995, 1996 and 2002, he was named 'Pitbull Politician of the Year' by the Bermudian magazine. Last year he was given the Portuguese honour of Knight Commander of the Order of Prince Henry the Navigator for his services to the Portuguese community.

He married Yolanta in 1993, and they have one son and three daughters.

@EDITRULE:

PLP candidate Scott Simmons is a former Police officer who has also worked in the hotel industry and with Bank of Bermuda.

Raised in both Pembroke and Sandys parishes, he was educated at Bermuda Institute, Cornell University, and the University of Toronto, according to his biography.

He joined the police in 1986, serving in Narcotics and Traffic, before resigning in 1990.

He was fined $1,000 in 1996 when he admitted a fraud charge over a car he sold which was actually owned by Bermuda Homes which held a charge over the vehicle. He did not tell the PLP about his conviction.

Mr. Simmons also worked at the Fairmont Hamilton Princess and at Bank of Bermuda. He was asked to resign from Cambridge Beaches in 1997 because management was unhappy at his handling of transactions.

His biography states he is currently a project manager at Trinity Construction, but in fact he left last year. Mr. Simmons said this detail was a misprint. He is currently working as a senior mason.

Mr. Simmons is separated and his interests include cricket, travel and politics.