Derrick Burgess and Winters Burgess have declared themselves long-standing friends, but say they are not sure if they are directly related.

Speaking to The Royal Gazette, the pair gave details about their connections, which were the centre of attention when the Commission of Inquiry investigated the Dame Lois Browne-Evans police and court building project.

The inquiry heard how Winters Burgess owned a 22 per cent equity stake in Landmark Lisgar, the company awarded the $70 million contract to construct the building in 2007, and was paid $11,000 a month; Derrick Burgess was the public works minister a year later, when a second contract was negotiated with the firm now called LLC.

The panel questioned why Landmark Lisgar was chosen for the contract despite not being the choice of the Government’s technical officers.

Challenged on his relationship with Winters Burgess during the hearing, Derrick Burgess had said he called him “uncle” but later explained that is a term he uses for people older than him.

Clarifying their relationship when contacted by this newspaper, Winters Burgess said: “We have been friends for a long time, but I don’t think I am related to him — if it is, it’s way down the street. He is definitely not a first cousin or second cousin, or a cousin that I know of. If he is related to me, I don’t know how. We have been friends for years — as a matter of fact, I was the one who influenced him to run for Parliament; that is how close we were.

“I saw him speaking at Leopard’s Club — he was a spokesman there — and I said to him, ‘why don’t you run for Parliament’ and we talked about it.

“We were friends long before that — 20 or 30 years. Maybe that’s why everyone thinks we are related because we are both Burgesses and we are so close.”

Derrick Burgess said he, too, was unsure whether the pair were related and questioned why it would be relevant that they were close friends.

He told this newspaper: “Why is my friendship under scrutiny? Everybody would be suspect in that case because we all know each other [in Bermuda]. If it is your brother, you should recuse yourself from the decision-making.

“Family comes into it — we can define that — but what about if it is a fifth cousin? Where do you draw the line? There are many definitions for close friends.”

Asked to clarify a report on ZBM News in 2009, when he was said to have called Winters Burgess a close friend and relative, Derrick Burgess said: “I never said that. They are using that in a sinister way now. I am proud to say I have many relatives in Bermuda, whether they are blood or not.

“I call everybody cousin. In the Commission of Inquiry, I was asked, is Winters related to me and I said he’s my uncle. Then I went on to explain it: it is a sign of respect for an elder.

“To me it was not an issue; it is only an issue when you try to use what it is in a sinister way.”

The commission was launched by the Bermuda Government to look into potential misuse of public funds between 2009 and 2012 while the Progressive Labour Party formed the government, including any conflicts of interest in the granting of contracts for capital projects. As well as Winters Burgess, Vincent Hollinsid, a half-brother of Ewart Brown, the former premier, owned a 20-per cent equity share in Landmark Lisgar and picked up a $6,000-a-month salary.

• In the interest of treating the Commission of Inquiry much like continuing court proceedings, The Royal Gazette has taken the decision to disable comments. This is done for the protection legally of both the newspaper and our readers