A detective has detailed documents seized from financial and Government institutions during a probe into alleged theft by Health Minister Nelson Bascome.

Bascome, 52, is accused of misappropriating a Bank of Bermuda loan intended to start a business by directing it into his own pockets instead.

He denies any wrongdoing and is currently on trial at Magistrates' Court before Senior Magistrate Archibald Warner.

According to the case for the prosecution, Bascome stole $40,080.52 from a loan entrusted to him by the Bank of Bermuda for business purposes between September 24 2003 and February 19 2004.

Senior Crown counsel Paula Tyndale claimed earlier this week that he used the funds, paid into his Bank of Bermuda account, for his own benefit instead of for a business set up with Robert Smith to market a water filter Mr. Smith invented.

It is further alleged that the MP stole $20,000 from that company, called the Natural Business Company, in March 2004.

Ms Tyndale said Bascome received $20,000 on behalf of it relating to contracts of repair issued by the Government of Bermuda. Again, she said, funds were paid into one of his accounts — this time with the Bank of Butterfield — and he used them for his own benefit, not that of the company.

Mr. Smith complained to the Police in May 2005, resulting in an investigation by the Fraud Unit. Yesterday, Detective Constable Paul Ridley of that unit continued evidence he started on Tuesday. He had previously outlined how numerous search warrants were executed at Capital G Bank, the Bank of Butterfield, the Bank of Bermuda, the Ministry of Works and Engineering and the Small Business Development Corporation.

Det. Con. Ridley said that during the searches, he obtained financial data relating to Bascome and the Natural Business Company, including cheques. He also obtained documents from the Accountant General.

Yesterday saw some of those documents formally tendered as evidence in the case. They related to two Bank of Bermuda accounts in the name of Nelson Bascome and a Bank of Bermuda loan account, also in his name. Additional documents detailed a Capital G business savings account in the name of the Natural Business Company and a personal account in the name of Nelson Bascome.

The remainder of the case has been postponed until June 25 due to problems with the availability of lawyers and witnesses.