Government -- and nobody knows why.

Michael Lionel Smith lodged the writ in Supreme Court yesterday, claiming damages of $6.268 billion.

The huge case is one of the biggest civil actions ever taken in Bermuda.

But there are no details surrounding Mr. Smith's case -- except he has named the Government and Ministry of Transport as defendants.

A search by The Royal Gazette has turned up just one Michael Lionel Smith in Bermuda.

Six billion dollar writ! The electoral register showed his address was 39 Friswells Road, Devonshire.

But the building is an old grocery -- called Johnny's -- and neighbours at number 37 and 41 said they had never even heard of a Michael Smith.

Number 39 is just a few doors down from the old Powell's Nursery School, condemned as a drug den and boarded up in August.

A Transport Ministry spokesman said: "We've never heard of Mr. Smith. This certainly sounds very interesting.''