Opposition Leader Jennifer Smith yesterday repeated calls for an emergency session of Parliament -- despite Premier Pamela Gordon identifying the "wise heads'' who counselled the Governor in a row over sex and drugs allegations involving one of her Ministers.

According to press reports, Ms Gordon said that Police Commissioner Colin Coxall and Deputy Governor Peter Willis put their heads together with the Governor and then advised the Premier that Mr. Pearman should go.

But Ms Smith said yesterday: "This cannot be satisfactorily clarified in the media.'' Ms Gordon was speaking after the Progressive Labour Party demanded the House of Assembly be recalled to debate the controversy surrounding Environment Minister Irving Pearman, who was caught up in the Police drugs-busting Operation Cleansweep.

One of the PLP demands on Thursday was that the "three wise heads'' be named.

Ms Gordon apparently named them later that day.

But Ms Smith said: "I would not like to base my opinion on what is printed in newspapers -- in Bermuda we have a situation where people do not ask for corrections or refute statements and when you try to hold them to it, they say `I didn't say that'.'' "In any case, we certainly think that that is just one tiny little bit of what we are talking about.'' Ms Smith also claimed on Thursday there was public support for an independent inquiry into the affair -- and said the PLP also wanted an inquiry.

The decision on whether the House should be recalled -- normally only done in extraordinary circumstances -- is a matter for Speaker Ernest DeCouto. Ms Smith added yesterday she had still not received a response to her letter, which outlined five points in favour of a recall.

She said: "I haven't heard from Mr. DeCouto -- when I do I will have something else to say.'' Ms Smith added: "The points presented to the Speaker are in and of themselves important enough for the Speaker to give them his consideration.

"We have not yet had the Speaker's response and I don't want to anticipate that.'' Ms Smith declined to comment on whether the decision by the Premier to name names -- only days after she admitted the Governor had been "badly advised'' but refused to speculate by whom -- was a bid to sidestep a sitting of Parliament to discuss the issues.

She said: "I am not going to try and read the mind of the Premier.'' The row broke out after two people were arrested as part of an undercover Police operation to target alleged street drug dealers and were found to have cashed cheques made out to them by Mr. Pearman.

New plea for special House sitting Mr. Pearman later said that he had been told by Mr. Coxall that a man -- who was not identified -- was prepared to testify that the cheques were in payment for drugs.

The Minister, who flatly denied involvement in drugs, said the cheques were payment for work around his home.

Mr. Pearman himself later revealed that there had also been allegations concerning his private life -- which he totally denied.

Mr. DeCouto could not be contacted for comment yesterday -- but he was earlier reported to have said he was examining the situation.

Jennifer Smith