Court and answer questions about their companies' affairs.

But their lawyer, Mr. Julian Hall, said he would oppose the examinations, which he described as "a fishing expedition.'' Mr. Richard Burns, Mr. Thomas Burns, and Mr. Christopher Donnachie are to be examined in chambers on January 26, said Mr. Nigel Howcroft of Appleby, Spurling and Kempe.

They were directors of companies which left more than 500 Bermuda investors in the lurch when they were placed in provisional liquidation by the Supreme Court in December.

Provisional liquidators Kempe and Whittle Ltd. have said investors had a stake of $8.3 million in Televest Ltd.

Televest investors bought blocks of preferred shares and were promised annual returns of seven to nine percent. The shares were to be redeemable upon 14 days notice.

But payment of dividends and redemption of shares was halted shortly before Christmas.

Televest was owned by Telecheck Holdings Ltd., a company that operated 10,000 Signature and Travel Card credit cards. Telecheck's cheque approval service for merchants processed more than 25,000 cheque transactions per week.

A day before provisional liquidators were named for those two companies, the related companies TBL Ltd. and CTRAK Ltd. were put in the same boat in response to petitions from United Kingdom creditors. The apparent failure of the four companies was described as a chain reaction.

A petition to wind up a fifth related company, Compuguide Ltd., has since been added.

The UK claims are said to be in the millions of dollars. Mr. Howcroft said the order requiring the Burns brothers and Mr. Donnachie to attend court was made following an application under Section 195 of the Companies Act.

The Act permitted wide-ranging questions related to the companies' affairs, he said.

Mr. Hall said yesterday he would argue against the examinations. "I think it's totally inappropriate to be engaging in a fishing expedition before the hearing takes place,'' Mr. Hall said.

A hearing date on the petitions to wind up the companies has not been set.