Overseas candidates could be considered for the crucial job of Bermuda's head of criminal prosecutions, The Royal Gazette can reveal.

It is understood applicants from abroad are among those to be interviewed for the $113,000 post of Director of Public Prosecutions, according to legal insiders.

But Deputy Governor Tim Gurney declined to confirm or deny that Government House was now looking overseas.

He said: "We are definitely interviewing more local candidates. We can't go into details of the candidates at the moment.'' Interviews for the top job of DPP kicked off a week ago -- with three or four on-Island hopefuls being quizzed by an interview panel.

It is understood there were up to a dozen applicants for the job -- with the majority of bids coming from overseas.

But it is believed a policy decision was made to interview only on-Island candidates at first.

The news comes only days after a breakaway group of lawyers petitioned Governor Thorold Masefield and the Foreign Office in London, asking for a UK declaration of policy on the Bermudianisation of the Crown prosecution system.

The National Bar Association of Bermuda (NBA) asked for a commitment to training and claimed "verbal endorsement'' of nearly 50 percent of the legal profession -- although the petition was signed by just 16 lawyers.

NBA spokesman Corin Smith admitted he was disappointed at claims an overseas candidate might get the job -- but not surprised.

He said: "My preference is that a Bermudian should get it -- primarily because that will send a strong signal to future candidates that they can get to the top of the Chambers.'' And he added: "The way we see it, if they didn't have a succession plan by last year when the former Attorney General left, it's not likely there would be a local succession now.

"The fact that there wasn't already a Bermudian successor ready is the source of the problem.

"This has been a long-standing disappointment in relation to the Attorney General's Chambers and in the quality of its commitment to Bermudianisation.'' But he admitted that infighting, if an on-Island candidate was selected, could push the interview panel in the direction of an outsider.

The interview panel -- which includes Chief Justice Austin Ward -- makes its recommendations to the Governor.

But the results of the panel's deliberations are forwarded to London, where UK Foreign Secretary Robin Cook will make the final decision on the winner of the post.

The DPP role has to be created due to the appointment of Progressive Labour Party veteran Lois Browne Evans as the first political Attorney General in modern times.

Public service Attorneys General in Bermuda previously combined criminal work with being the main legal advisors to Government.

Mrs. Browne Evans will now be legal counsel to Cabinet and handle civil cases against Government.

The DPP will handle the criminal side of Crown work to avoid potential conflicts of interest.