National Security Minister Wayne Caines has called on the powers that be to either charge former Premier Dr Ewart Brown or end the ongoing police investigation that has cost local taxpayers millions.

He was responding to Parliamentary Questions by Deputy Speaker and Progressive Labour Party MP Derrick Burgess, who asked the Minister what was the longest ongoing investigation by the Bermuda Police Service (BPS) involving a public official.

He also asked the Minister to say what had been the most expensive investigation of a public official, or a private resident in Bermuda’s history.

Mr Caines told said he could not provide answers.

But he said: “It is time for the Department of Public Prosecutions to make a decision whether or not this matter should proceed.”

“The BPS are unable to identify the longest investigation that has been undertaken, given the records do not reflect this information.

“BPS do not record the cost of investigation as this is something that is difficult to quantify,” he added.

At last check the ongoing investigation cost more than $6 million on investigations into Dr Brown and an overseas hospital in July.

At that point in time, he said the exact costs had reached $6,096,437.

“It’s now an opportunity for us to put this case to Bar or allow this matter to take a natural course, and go another direction,” said the Minister.

Former Premier Dr Ewart Brown

Dr Brown has gone on record repeatedly saying the investigations had “more to do with a political vendetta than it has to do with diagnostic scans or political corruption”.

“When our legal fees are added to the totals provided by the BPS, and the creative accounting, the total figure is closer to $10 million.

“Therefore, we expect them to ‘discover’ something in order to justify their fishing expedition. We are prepared,” he added.

Meanwhile, the Commissioner of Police, Stephen Corbishley, the Commissioner of Police, has vowed that the inquiry  would continue.

“The BPS will continue to investigate these matters, thoroughly and expeditiously, in consultation with the Director of Public Prosecutions team,” he said.

A civil lawsuit was filed  in February 2017, by the former One Bermuda Alliance administration, under then Attorney General Trevor Moniz, accusing Dr Brown of profiting from unnecessary diagnostic tests at his medical practices.

The lawsuit was dismissed by a US court in March 2018.

To date, Dr Brown, who called the investigation as a political witch-hunt, has not been charged with any offences.