Magistrates have declined a request for a warrant by detectives investigating claims documents "may have been stolen" from Health Minister Michael Scott's office, The Royal Gazette understands.

It comes as Police reveal they are "nearing a conclusion" in their probe into Mr. Scott's allegation surrounding his notes on a "Saturday Group" meeting on healthcare which were leaked to this newspaper.

Mr. Scott has continuously cited the ongoing Police investigation as his reason for refusing to make public a Johns Hopkins Medicine International review into public healthcare in Bermuda — even though the Johns Hopkins report is not part of the Police investigation.

His notes on the August 18 meeting — attended by himself, Premier Ewart Brown and health chiefs — state that the Johns Hopkins report must be managed and written to avoid embarrassing Government.

They also contain a comment attributed to management consultants Kurron Shares' boss Corbett Price that "the reports out of KEMH will be devastating".

Meanwhile a snapshot of King Edward VII Memorial Hospital attributed to Bermuda Hospitals Board CEO David Hill points to poor clinical safety, shaky and worsening finances, lack of managerial process and accountability and people being employed in the wrong places.

BHB has already confirmed the notes, which Mr. Scott claims were not official minutes, have been shared with Mr. Hill and BHB chairman Herman Tucker. This newspaper has made numerous requests to Mr. Scott to release the Johns Hopkins report, which cost taxpayers $200,000.

Mr. Scott has repeatedly declined, saying it would be inappropriate to share the report in "the current climate".

He insists that by "current climate" he is referring to the Police investigation into his claims that his notes were stolen — not the approaching General Election.

Yesterday, The Royal Gazette asked Mr. Scott: "Will you release the Johns Hopkins report into healthcare in Bermuda? Please note: We are not asking you to release anything that is the subject of a Police investigation.

"We are asking for the release of the Johns Hopkins report into public healthcare in Bermuda."

He did not reply.

The release of the notes — which include references to Mr. Hill being urged to remove one nurse in charge, and the Premier asking him to find nine Bermudians to put directly under a particular department head — came days after the CEO denied claims the hospital was blighted by political interference.

BHB dismisses the notes as grossly inaccurate, in some places untrue, and a reflection of Mr. Scott's private notes and personal thoughts.

The Premier, whom Mr. Scott says opened the meeting and to whom numerous remarks are attributed, has deferred comment to Mr. Scott and described himself as "an observer".