replacement judge who could preside over the multi-million dollar Thyssen trial, The Royal Gazette has learned.

The trial was halted at the end of March after the judge in the court case resigned, and the newspaper understands it could now be just weeks before a candidate is selected.

Puisne Judge Denis Mitchell quit the epic Bermuda Supreme Court trial which has cost an estimated $100 million to date and had lasted over a year-and-a-half before coming to an abrupt halt in a flurry of publicity and acrimony.

And since then the search has been on for a replacement for Mr. Mitchell that will either re-start the case, or be brought up to speed by the teams of lawyers.

It is believed the lawyers on all sides are considering suing the Governor, Premier Jennifer Smith and Mr. Mitchell for the time wasted on the case.

Deputy Governor Tim Gurney confirmed a suitable candidate was still being sought, but would not be drawn on how close they had got to selecting a candidate.

He said: "We are still actively pursuing finding another judge for the chief justice panel.'' Once a candidate is found for the panel, then the Chief Justice will assign one of his judges to the case. It is believed whomever would be brought in would be assigned to the Thyssen case.

When Mr. Mitchell quit it threw the complex legal case into disarray and left 32 lawyers in limbo.

Thyssen search continues Bermuda authorities could face huge legal bills for tens of millions of dollars, according to a statement issued on behalf of millionaire the Baron Hans Heinrich Thyssen-Bornemisza who has been suing his eldest son o ver a fortune worth an estimated $2.7 billion in Bermuda.

A statement issued on behalf of the Baron Thyssen said: "The Bermuda authorities are...exposed to a substantial compensation claim by the Baron, and, if they chose to make it, the other parties as a result of the departure of the judge.'' A decision on what will happen about appointing a new judge was expected to be made at Easter, when Chief Justice Austin Ward, the man who would make any further decisions on the case, would look at the matter. But no decision has yet been made.

If and when a new judge is found it could take months for him/her to be brought up to speed with the intricate technical details of the case.

So far, local and English lawyers working on the case around the clock for a year and a half, plus two years of legal wrangles before it even got to court.

Mr. Mitchell said in March he was quitting the case stating he had been under considerable strain both physically and mentally and blamed the Governor for not seeking a resolution to the problem and for not finding another judge for the case.