Alleged fraudster Kyril Burrows insisted Government got the goods and services it paid for, as he opened the case for his defence yesterday.Mr Burrows, who with his wife Delcina Bean-Burrows is accused of stealing hundreds of thousands of taxpayers’ dollars, told the jury measures were in place to ensure Government money was not stolen.Launching his defence more than two months after the trial kicked off at Supreme Court, former Works and Engineering manager Mr Burrows said: “The financial controls at the Prospect Depot did not fail.“The Bermuda Government paid for goods and services and received those goods and services.”In a brief opening statement, he said he would present witnesses supporting those facts, adding: “They will speak to the fact that the financial controls in place in the Ministry of Works and Engineering did adequately and exceedingly protect the Government assets.”Government’s Property Information Management System (PIMS), he said, “provided transparency and accountability for all transactions at the buildings section at Prospect Depot.”According to prosecutors, Mr Burrows used Government money to renovate the house he and his wife shared in Turkey Hill, St George’s, and abused his position as buildings manager to use purchase orders to buy goods for his home.The pair are also accused of directing public cash into Mrs Bean-Burrows’ businesses for work that was never carried out. In total the alleged fraud is said to be worth more than $553,000.Yesterday Mr Burrows said he would produce witnesses showing that he used purchase orders in support of Government’s health and safety rules.His first witness was Arnold Hollis, the Archdeacon Emeritus of Bermuda and the Rector of Sandys Parish; Dr Hollis said Mr and Mrs Burrows are members of his Parish.Mr Burrows presented Dr Hollis with calendars from 2005 to 2012 and asked him what day of the week was February 6 2006, February 5 2006, and January 31 2006. Dr Hollis replied Monday, Sunday and Monday respectively.When Mr Burrows said that was all the questions he had for Dr Hollis, Mrs Bean-Burrows took to her feet to ask more of her own.“You were alive in those years were you not?” asked Mrs Bean-Burrows.Dr Hollis replied: “I have been around since ‘33.”Mrs Bean-Burrows continued: “As far as you remember, the month of February did occur right after January?”At this point, Puisne Judge Charles-Etta Simmons said: “I’m going to stop you, Mrs Bean-Burrows, because this is beginning to get ridiculous. Get to the point.“We can all assume that yesterday occurred and the day before that and the year before that.”Mrs Bean-Burrows resumed by asking Dr Hollis what day of the week was August 11, 2006.“That’s a Friday,” the archdeacon told the court.After Mrs Bean-Burrows said that was all the questions she had for Dr Hollis, Mrs Justice Simmons intervened again.“There are some things that are so patently indisputable, we don’t need a priest and archdeacon to come into court to verify,” said the judge.Mr Burrows then called his next witness, former St George’s MP Dean Foggo, and asked whether he had opened a shop in the Old Town.Mr Foggo agreed that he had, and was then shown a photograph of himself at the Triangle Toner gift shop, which the jury has previously heard is owned by Mrs Bean-Burrows.The former politician could not recall exactly when he performed the official opening, but remembered it was a hot day.Another witness, Luis Martins of Fast Forward freight firm, agreed with Mr Burrows’ assertion that his company provided work for Works and Engineering from 2005 to 2008, storing windows, tiles and furniture.And another, Kevin Mayall, was asked questions about the PIMS system which he helped develop. Mr Mayall told the court PIMS had the intention of recording all Government financial transactions.Mr Burrows, 48, and his 49-year-old wife deny 35 charges between them spanning the dates from January 1, 2005 to December 31, 2009. The charges cover allegations of cheating, obtaining money transfers by deception, obtaining property by deception, money laundering and false accounting. The case, which began on February 23, was originally scheduled to last six to ten weeks.