A former premier has been interviewed by police in connection with an investigation into the alleged overuse of medical scans.

Two sources told The Royal Gazette that Ewart Brown sat down with detectives within the past two weeks as part of a long-running inquiry by Bermuda Police Service.

It is understood a file will soon be passed to Larry Mussenden, the Director of the Department of Public Prosecutions, for a decision on whether charges will be laid.

Police have been investigating claims of corruption against Dr Brown since 2011, after allegations were made about him under oath in the Supreme Court by disgraced financier David Bolden.

A Commission of Inquiry held in 2016 concluded that seven government business dealings had evidence of possible criminal activity, with five of them relating to Dr Brown.

Police said at the time that some active investigations were already under way and that the CoI had identified a “number of new areas of inquiry” which would also be studied.

Part of the overall police inquiry has focused on the use of diagnostic imaging scans at two clinics owned by Dr Brown: Bermuda Healthcare Services in Paget and the specialised Brown-Darrell Clinic in Smith’s.

It led to Mahesh Reddy, medical director at BHCS, being arrested by police in May 2016 during a raid on his home.

The arrest and raid were later ruled unlawful by former chief justice Ian Kawaley.

The health records of 265 patients were seized from the two clinics by detectives in February 2017.

They were sealed on the orders of a judge, but last year the files of 75 patients were sent overseas for review by two independent doctors after the Supreme Court agreed on a protocol intended to maintain the patients’ anonymity.

A separate civil case was filed against the Lahey Clinic in Massachusetts by the former One Bermuda Alliance government in February 2017.

The suit, which named Dr Brown as a “non-party coconspirator”, claimed that, over the course of 20 years, the teaching hospital conspired with Dr Brown on an unlawful enterprise that profited both, at the expense of the Bermudian taxpayer.

It claimed Lahey made millions of dollars reading and interpreting medically unnecessary MRI and CT scans performed at Dr Brown’s clinics.

The case was dismissed by judge Indira Talwani of the US District Court in March 2018 because Bermuda had not shown it suffered any injuries in the United States.

Dr Brown is now suing the Government for libel, malicious falsehood and financial loss intentionally caused.

Wayne Caines, the Minister of National Security, told MPs last July that the total cost to taxpayers of investigations into Dr Brown and Lahey was more than $6 million.

A police spokesman said: “Bermuda Police Service does not comment on the specifics of ongoing investigations, but can confirm that the related investigations are ongoing.”

Dr Brown and Dr Reddy have denied any wrongdoing and declined to comment.