leader Jennifer Smith after she said "seemingly money had been made available'' for him to bring a private prosecution against Shadow Minister and churchman Trevor Woolridge.

Rev. Woolridge was convicted two weeks ago of sexually assaulting a woman parishoner. Furious Mr. Froomkin, speaking from Turkey where he is attending a conference, said: "I never asked my client for any money, I never received any money and I don't expect to get any money.

"If I don't get an apology, the likelihood is I will sue her for libel.'' Mr.

Froomkin, a Queen's Counsel and former Attorney General now in private practice with Mello, Hollis, Jones and Martin, said that he had taken the case free of charge.

But he added: "I have heard these rumours for some time now. It's annoying because you do what you think is right, proper and ethical then you get people for their own political purposes making allegations which are totally unfounded.'' And Premier Pamela Gordon also opened fire on Ms Smith, branding her statements as an "irresponsible'' attack on Bermuda's justice system.

Ms Smith told the media on Thursday that there had been "a concerted effort to smear'' Rev. Woolridge's name.

And she claimed that the situation was similar to that of Government Minister Irving Pearman -- but suggested "differing standards of justice'' had applied.

Mr. Pearman was caught up in the drugs-busting Operation Cleansweep after two men arrested in the swoop were found to have cheques made out by Mr. Pearman.

Mr. Pearman said he had recruited the two men in a bid to rehabilitate them and the money was payment for work around his home. Mr. Pearman was never charged with any offence.

Ms Smith said that Mr. Pearman had been "accused'' by Governor Thorold Masefield and Police Commissioner Colin Coxall -- then immediately backed off, saying that had been an allegation and that she only knew that from media reports.

Mr. Pearman last night laughed off the claims and said: "It's grossly unfair.

I have no comment to make. I don't blame Miss Smith for trying whatever.

Someone made a charge against Rev. Woolridge -- I don't recall anyone making any charges against me. She has to try, I suppose.'' Ms Gordon opened up on the Opposition after Ms Smith defended the disgraced Shadow Minister, who has now been booted from the pulpit by the ruling body of the African Methodist Episcopalian Church. Sentence in the case has been postponed pending an appeal.

But he was not suspended by his party pending the appeal. Ms Smith demonstrated support by turning up at Rev. Woolridge's final court hearing and he was a guest at her 50th birthday party in St. George's on Tuesday. Ms Gordon said yesterday that a file had been prepared on Mr. Pearman because of an association with "people of a questionable character.'' She added: "It never dealt with a specific allegation. It was never an attack on his personal integrity or an allegation that he had done something illegal -- and the Police Commissioner and the Governor made that very clear.

"There was a complainant in the case of Rev. Woolridge and the complainant was dissatisfied with the result from the Attorney General's Chambers and decided to use her constitutional right to take the issue further.

"It was a shame that the leader of the Opposition chose to try and denigrate the judicial process in Bermuda and basically malign it.

"That's the part that comes across as very distressing from someone so senior in the party political process.

"It just beggars the imagination that the leader of the Opposition can make statements like this. It was an irresponsible statement to make, even if she created enough ambiguity in her statement to cloud what she was saying.'' An embattled Ms Smith could not be contacted yesterday.

COURTS CTS