Governor Sir Richard Gozney yesterday once again threw his support behind Auditor General Larry Dennis, reminding his critics: "People tell me that UBP Ministers did not smile on Mr. Dennis either."

On Wednesday, Premier Ewart Brown had called for Sir Richard to pressure Mr. Dennis into quitting. Dr. Brown claimed the Auditor General's special report — which revealed millions of taxpayers' dollars were spent without proper controls — showed he abused his position to attack the Progressive Labour Party.

But Sir Richard released a statement yesterday saying the Auditor General retains his confidence, adding that when the United Bermuda Party was in power Mr. Dennis was no friend of theirs either.

The Governor said it was not the first time Dr. Brown has urged him to request Mr. Dennis' resignation.

UBP Leader Kim Swan dismissed the attack on Mr. Dennis as "typical of the Premier", explaining: "Instead of answers, we get attacks and character assassination."

Also yesterday, Works and Engineering Minister Derrick Burgess and the Premier, through his press secretary Glenn Jones, both turned down the chance to point out anything they thought was wrong in any of Mr. Dennis' criticisms of the controversial Police/court building project in Hamilton.

According to Mr. Dennis, these include:

• lax financial controls meaning $6.5 million was paid out on the scheme without verifying amounts to receipted invoices;

l Mr. Burgess urged staff to amend a letter written by the certifying architect to say a decision to relax financial controls was a Ministry decision, not his own;

• Mr. Burgess ordered staff not to cooperate with Mr. Dennis' audit team, only relenting when he threatened legal action.

The Royal Gazette asked Mr. Jones and Mr. Burgess to point to specific lines in Mr. Dennis' report which were inaccurate.

Mr. Burgess said he would respond at "the appropriate time" — a possible indication he will use parliamentary privilege by making a Ministerial Statement in the House of Assembly.

With the Premier off the Island, Mr. Jones pointed to a Ministry of Tourism and Transport press statement criticising Mr. Dennis' findings on Tourism contracts — already covered by this newspaper — but declined to offer anything on the Police/court building allegations.

The UBP also claimed yesterday that the Premier's Ministerial Statement attacking Mr. Dennis on Wednesday, read in his absence by Education Minister Elvin James, had broken parliamentary rules.

Deputy Opposition Leader Trevor Moniz said Mr. Dennis' report should not have been discussed in the House of Assembly until it had been through the Public Affairs Committee.

Mr. Moniz said that because Dr. Brown's statement was let through, the UBP then persuaded Speaker Stanley Lowe to let them respond in the Motion to Adjourn.

However, any hopes for a debate were dashed when all Government Ministers quickly left the room except for Mr. Burgess and Sports Minister Glenn Blakeney, both of whom said nothing.

The Governor said in a statement yesterday afternoon: "The Auditor General's special report speaks for itself. It is addressed to the Speaker of the House of Assembly for Bermuda's elected parliamentarians to consider.

"Significant statements and explanations made on March 11 in response to the special report, including by the Premier, the Finance Minister, the Ministry of Tourism and others also speak for themselves.

"I suggest that Bermuda can be justifiably glad of a political maturity which allows debate and argument over public spending, not just about the Budget year to come but about the recent past. It doesn't happen in every small country.

"The Premier of Bermuda said publicly that he wishes me to request the resignation of the Auditor General, a wish which he has expressed to Governors for two years.

"He has certainly expressed this wish to me before. Events involving Ministers, the Auditor General and the Bermuda Police around mid-2007 were addressed at the time by my predecessor and I doubt the wisdom of my reviewing them now.

"Since my arrival near the end of 2007 I have seen an Auditor General working hard on his task of encouraging transparency and accountability in the public sector. His style may not appeal to some but by the nature of his or her work no auditor general is likely to be someone upon whom Ministers smile.

"People tell me that UBP Ministers did not smile upon Mr. Dennis either. He retains my confidence. Bermuda will need someone good to replace him when he retires in August."

Mr. Swan, urging Government and Deputy Premier Paula Cox to break their silence, said: "We are calling on the Finance Minister to step forward and provide Bermuda with a full and clear response to the Auditor's findings.

"The millions of dollars spent without proper control has taken place on her watch. Yet the Minister has been silent. She needs to step forward to clear the air."

On the Premier's comments, Mr. Swan said: "It is nothing but the politics of distraction, where the goal is to divert public attention from the issues. His call for the Governor to fire the Auditor is out of bounds and deeply hypocritical.

"This, after all, is the same Auditor who signs off on the audits of Bermuda Monetary Authority, the Bermuda Housing Corporation, the Bermuda Land Development Company, the West End Development Corporation and Bermuda Hospitals Board.

"The Government has no problem accepting his opinions on these bodies. They cannot have it both ways. And so we ask the public to see the Premier's actions in the most desperate light."

• See Premier is 'unprofessional' says Swan –