CLAIMS that inefficient civil servants prohibited the Human Rights Commission (HRC) from producing annual reports for the past four years were yesterday declared untrue.

Sources told the that it is in fact HRC chairman Rod Attride-Stirling who is responsible for the backlog.

The chairman attacked HRC's executive director David Wilson earlier this month, telling that civil servants were behind the delay and that he had "very limited control over the way aspects of the office run".

General consensus seems to be that Mr. Wilson did produce the reports. At issue is the quality involved.

One person contacted by this newspaper described them as "garbage", insisting that none "of a substance worthy of being put before Parliament were ever produced".

He said: "He simply didn't perform. He was supervised. He was given all sorts of advice. He just didn't perform."

Another source contradicted that opinion, insisting the reports were credible and that the last, 2004, was handed to Mr. Attride-Stirling at least nine months ago.

It has been alleged that the delay in their Parliamentary presentation is part of a smear campaign against Mr. Wilson, with some eager to see him dismissed from office.

A hearing involving the HRC executive was held following allegations that he had failed to complete certain tasks. A report is due to be presented to John Drinkwater, Cabinet Secretary and head of the Civil Service, sometime next week.

Mr. Attride-Stirling did not return calls for comment yesterday.

Mr. Wilson was also contacted and declined to comment, but others rose to his defence, concerned that his reputation was being wrongly damaged.

"I know for a fact that the reports have been written," one person insisted. "The problem is civil servants are not allowed to talk to the press. The chairman can blame and shame, say whatever he wants, without fear of public response.

"I believe the reports were given to the chairman sometime last summer ? I know it was many months ago. The executive officer inherited two years' backlog of reports which he has worked on and caught up with. They've been sitting on the chairman's desk ever since. It's not fair."

Asked why Mr. Wilson had been made a target by Mr. Attride-Stirling, a source said: "For some reason they don't like the executive officer and want to get rid of him. They probably don't like him because he's outspoken. He's doing his job. I just don't think it's fair."

A person familiar with the Commission's operations pointed out that the chairman is technically "in charge of producing the reports". It falls to the executive director to produce the material and write the draft report, which he then "gives to the chairman and they work on it together".

As written in the Human Rights Act, the Commission must produce a report to the Minister responsible for human rights no later than six months after the end of each calendar year.

Mr. Attride-Stirling has accepted no blame for the backlog and insisted that jobs should have been lost because the Commission had failed to comply with the Act.

"Those responsible should be removed from their positions," he told . "I think that it is deplorable that we have not been able to produce a report as is required by our legislation. It's just unacceptable.

"The people who are supposed to put the report together are the administrative staff. The Commissioners have been pushing and pleading to get staff to file the report. The fact that no one has lost their job over this says a lot about the way the civil service operates. It's out of my hands and out of the hands of the Commissioners. It's scandalous that it hasn't been prepared and that no one has criticised us over this."

The comments drew the ire of Bermuda Public Services Union chief Armell Thomas. He said it was wrong for Mr. Attride-Stirling to make any comment about staff problems within the Commission before a judgment had been rendered.

"He shouldn't have said that because the case is still happening. He knows all about the situation. If anything, he should be fired because where are the human rights of the employee? He went too far discussing this matter."

Asked yesterday whether the incident highlighted the need for a change of legislation with regard to the rights of civil servants, Mr Thomas said: "I'm not saying all my members are saints. All I'm saying is that this is about his reputation. It's about human rights. This has been blasted out there. That's why we're really upset."

He said that as a lawyer, Mr. Attride-Stirling should know better than to speak while a case is pending.

"But the damage has been done already. It's been out in the press. He's a political appointee. He's not in the office from day to day. I'm wondering who he's getting his information from?"