ST JOHN’S, Antigua (AP) — A judge ruled yesterday that Antigua and Barbuda’s prime minister, Lester Bird, must testify in a civil case accusing him of raping a teenage girl, his lawyers said.

But according to defence lawyer John Fuller, Bird’s legal team will challenge Justice Rita Joseph-Olivetti’s ruling.

A copy of the ruling was not immediately available because High Court offices closed early yesterday. No date has been set for a hearing.

Two journalists working for the Antigua Observer media group videotaped the 16 year-old girl, who claimed she had sex with Bird and his brother and did drug deals on their behalf.

In the videotape, she said she met the prime minister and his brother, Ivor Bird, at a party in 1999 and had a sexual relationship — first with Ivor and then with Bird — when she was 12.

She also alleged that she made payments for cocaine deals on behalf of Bird, his brother, and Chief of Staff Asot Michael between June 2000 and July 2001.

Bird has denied meeting the girl and denied being involved in drugs.

Government investigators cleared Bird of any wrongdoing in October, but said in a report that Ivor Bird could be charged for allegedly having an inappropriate relationship with the girl. No such charges have been made.

The girl’s whereabouts are unknown. On the videotape, she said she was born in Suriname and carried a Guyanese passport.

Bird has a lawsuit pending against the girl, the media group and opposition members who showed the videotape at a public meeting. He dropped a defamation lawsuit against the two journalists who videotaped the girl.