Police Commissioner George Jackson yesterday broke his silence on the Auditor General's 2007 arrest, calling it a "normal" procedure in a criminal investigation, and without political motivation.

The Commissioner insisted that public comments by Larry Dennis forced him to speak out on the events, which saw the Auditor General escorted to jail following a police raid on his offices for files on the Bermuda Housing Corporation (BHC) investigation, which had disappeared.

The files, which contained information on an investigation into alleged corruption at BHC, were subsequently leaked to the press. They named Premier Ewart Brown, former Premier Jennifer Smith, former Tourism Minister Renée Webb, construction boss Zane DeSilva and others, as having been investigated by police as part of that inquiry.

"It is with deep regret that I find myself compelled to respond to the ongoing unanswered assertions and challenges made publicly by the Auditor General Mr. Larry Dennis, against myself the Commissioner of Police and the Bermuda Police Service generally," Mr. Jackson said in a press release issued yesterday afternoon.

"When it became known that the Auditor General claimed to have possession of the documents every effort was made by the Commissioner of Police to obtain consensual cooperation from the Auditor General to that investigation.

"Mr. Dennis refused and as a result the normal procedures for conducting a criminal investigation were followed.

"That protracted investigation continues, is being led by experienced officers from the BPS, overseen by the Assistant Commissioner of Police Mr. Bryan Bell, and has been reviewed by officers from Kent Police UK. As that matter has not concluded and may lead to criminal charges I am unable to expand on the details at this time."

Mr. Dennis was not available for comment by press time, but he spoke about his night in jail in an interview with The Royal Gazette less than two weeks ago.

"The interviewers were on the phone with someone in the background giving them instructions what to do," he said of that experience. "I think it was the Commissioner. I think he was being used. I said in my report I thought it was a political process."

The accusation was denied by the Commissioner who maintained his officers had behaved as they would in any other investigation. Equally as just, he maintained was his decision to go to the Privy Council in London, England, to prevent media from printing further information from the BHC files. The court ruled in favour of the press.

"Much has been made in the press of the legal action I took in an attempt to prevent wider publication of those documents," he asserted. "I believe strongly that such release condones the actions of those responsible for the theft of the documents, undermines the confidence the public have in their Police Service and if unchecked is unfair to the parties involved.

"I totally refute claims that any of my actions have been politically motivated. As Commissioner of Police, I work closely with senior colleagues across Government and throughout Bermuda, including the Auditor General.

"Let me state categorically neither I nor any of my officers are under any political influence in the conduct of investigations.

"In serving Bermuda my aim remains to ensure fairness to all, to uphold the law and to provide a safe and secure environment for all."