David Burt has failed to honour a public pledge to send out a money transfer from Butterfield Bank as proof that the financial institution has not closed his personal account.

When pressed by this reporter whether he was one of two Progressive Labour Party premiers that senior government MP Derrick Burgess said in the House of Assembly had been “kicked out” and told by the bank it was terminating their financial relationships, Mr Burt insisted he would complete the transaction.

Despite being sent the necessary bank details specifically asked for by the Premier on February 22, no transfer has yet been made by Mr Burt.

When asked if he was one of the two PLP premiers Mr Burgess said had their bank accounts terminated by Butterfield, Mr Burt said at a post-Budget press conference last week: “Would you like me to send a transfer from Butterfield tomorrow? I will happily do so.”

This reporter replied: “Yes, that would be lovely.”

Mr Burt said: “Hopefully, I will be able to reverse the money and take the money out of your account.”

When pressed on who the two PLP premiers that Mr Burgess had referred to were, Mr Burt said: “We are here to talk about the Budget. I am not going to talk about individual comments that are made by individual members of the House of Assembly, otherwise we will be here all day.”

At the close of the post-Budget press conference, Mr Burt repeated his offer regrading the bank transfer. “Feel free to write down your account number and I will send you a transfer,” he said.

However, when bank details were sent to Mr Burt via the government press office, there was no response.

The bank has said it cannot discuss dealings with individuals, but stated: “Butterfield conducts ongoing reviews of customer account balances and transactional activity to ensure compliance with applicable local and international laws and regulatory standards.”

Mr Burgess, Deputy Speaker of the House of Assembly, sparked controversy last month when he told MPs that Butterfield had terminated the accounts of four people, including two PLP premiers, without giving them a proper reason.

However, The Royal Gazette understands the people involved were written to by the bank three months ago and told that their personal accounts would be terminated on February 15.

Other accounts, such as corporate ones and asset management facilities, would take longer to wind down.

A Butterfield statement added: “Any decision to terminate an account is consistent with Butterfield’s general terms and conditions and within the bank’s contractual right.”

Mr Burgess told fellow MPs he believed the bank had not provided proper reasons for the move, but declined to supply further details when later approached by The Royal Gazette.

Referring to Butterfield Bank, he told the House of Assembly: “They are now kicking people out of the bank. And sending them letters – you have got ’til February to get out, and really giving no reason.”

He added: “Those four people that I know of include two premiers of this country.

“It is not right, and I am talking about premiers in the Progressive Labour Party. I don’t know if this has affected others on the other side [One Bermuda Alliance].”

Alex Scott, who was PLP premier between 2003 and 2006, said the situation did not involve him. Attempts to contact other former premiers have been unsuccessful.

Government ministers have refused to comment on the issue.