Politicians likened the House of Assembly to a courtroom yesterday after Housing Minister was queried by Opposition Whip and lawyer (pictured) on the existence of a million-dollar trust fund buried in the financial statements of the Bermuda Housing Trust.

However Mr. DeVent later hit back at Opposition criticisms of the rent increases at the BHT, revealing that former Bermuda Housing Corporation general manager Ed Cowen had in 1995 recommended the BHT Board raise rents at the properties to market price. The Minister said the statement that the BHT has been nationalised is "nonsense" and called on the Opposition and the media to stop turning housing into a political football and offer constructive criticism instead.

Government recently increased rents at the BHT properties, properties set aside to provide seniors with affordable housing. Some rents were more than doubled, leading to vocal protests from both the seniors themselves and Opposition MPs John Barritt and Louise Jackson, however the BHT cited increasing maintenance costs and a mandate to provide further housing for seniors as the reasoning behind the increases.

The saga continued during the question-and-answer series in the House of Assembly yesterday morning. In response to questions from Mr. Barritt, Mr. DeVent revealed that the financial statements of the BHT up to March 31, 2004, had been audited to his satisfaction. While he was not required to table the financial statements, he agreed to ask the Board if they would consider tabling the statements ? though he qualified that by adding he hoped the BHT would not be further subject to a "political witchunt".

When Mr. Barritt asked if the statements revealed the existence of a trust fund of over one million dollars, however, Mr. DeVent replied: "I cannot speak to that off the top of my head ... If you want answers, at some point I can provide them".

The BHC does receive a management fee of $38,000 per year from the BHT in return for providing management, administration and project management services, Mr. DeVent said. "The BHT makes all of the decisions and directs and monitors the activities of the BHC utilising budgets and other control policies and procedures."

The management fee, he said in response to Mr. Barritt, "is, I believe, based on the rents (at the properties)". The BHC did not provide any other services to the BHT that he was aware of. Later in the Parliamentary session, during the Budget debate on the BHC, Mr. DeVent provided more details on the relationship between that organisation and the BHT.

The new rents remain far below market prices for comparable units, he said, and are necessary as the BHT is currently playing catch-up on maintenance issues at today's higher costs. And he revealed that in 1995 former BHC general manager Ed Cowen, who was quoted in the Mid-Ocean News recently as claiming Government has nationalised the BHT, recommended the Board of the BHT raise rents to market price.

According to minutes of a March 15, 1995 BHT Board meeting which Mr. DeVent supplied to the media, Mr. Cowen also said anyone unable to pay market value should get help from Social Assistance (now Financial Assistance). The idea was rejected by the trustees. "The BHT and the BHC are both separate legal entities with separate Boards," Mr. DeVent said.

"Far too many individuals continue to politicise housing rather than trying to unite the community ... Finding a solution to the housing situation is far more important than politics and the political ploy of using housing to create divisions within the community must stop, and must stop today."