Shadow Finance Minister Bob Richards told MPs last night that the qualified audit on Government's Consolidated Fund and the Premier's response reflected badly on Government as an entity and on the Island as a whole.

Mr. Richards said during the motion to adjourn in the House of Assembly that it was important for members of the public to realise how unusual it was for the government of a country to receive such an audit.

He said it reflected very badly on the entity receiving the qualified audit, adding that the Auditor General's special report "reflects very badly on Bermuda as a whole".

Mr. Richards said governments were at the top of the pyramid of society and "if the top of the pyramid can't seem to get its act together and get it right, outsiders will wonder what's going on".

He suggested the report could result in a negative credit rating for Bermuda. "If that were to happen it would cost Bermuda millions of extra dollars in interest payments. It could actually come down to millions."

He said Auditor General Larry Dennis was a watchdog and "sometimes the dog's going to bark and bite".

"On this occasion, that watchdog has done exactly that," he said. "The question is: how do you react to that? Your reaction shouldn't be to try to vilify the watchdog."

The Opposition MP said Government should have ensured it didn't give the watchdog anything to bark and bite about.

Referring to Premier Ewart Brown's call yesterday for Mr. Dennis to resign, he said: "I think he's taken completely the wrong tack. The whole object of the remarks this morning appear to be an attempt to discredit a constitutionally enshrined watchdog of this country. I think that's wrong and it reflects very badly on Bermuda."

He said Dr. Brown failed to shed any significant light on the issues raised in Mr. Dennis' report. "I think that Bermudians are left with a kind of nauseating, dizzying feeling that something is not right with our Government. I think it's very unfortunate that the Premier's response seemed to exacerbate this situation."

n See EDITORIAL – Page 4

n Also further stories on Auditor General's report – Pages 1, 8 and 9