Together Gibraltar is gravely concerned by the revelations that some former Police Officers who were under investigation by the Police for serious offences have been given alternative employment in other Government departments with similar salaries. This is already a blatant disregard for the rule of law and an insult to the hard-working and honest officers who serve our community, and the fact that it is allowed under local law does not take away from the recklessness and impropriety of the decision.

The party believes that this situation raises serious questions about the Government’s integrity and transparency and puts an international spotlight on the cleanliness of our institutions, particularly when these actions happen in the wake of the McGrail Inquiry. If the Government is seen to meddle in this case, it could undermine the perception of independence and credibility of the inquiry and will raise broader questions about the transparency and accountability of the Government and its respect for the rule of law.

Regardless of whether these officers are still in the process of presenting evidence or not, the Government should not have acted as a judge of the credibility of these officers. The Government of Gibraltar is, first and foremost, the guardian of Gibraltar’s institutional stability and good name, and these decisions, which were always going impact negatively on these, appear to be unnecessarily irresponsible. The Government was either unaware of the negative impacts of these measures and acted incompetently, or was fully aware and is actively trying to manipulate a situation that it feels threatens its survival. Either offence is serious enough to damage public trust and confidence in both the Government and the Inquiry.

Party Leader, Marlene Hassan Nahon said: “how can we trust a Government that rewards those who have -allegedly- committed wrongdoings and undermine the work of our Police force?

How can we trust a Government that puts our international reputation at risk at a time in which we are under increased monitoring by the global money-laundering watchdog?

The explanations provided by Government so far do not dispel the suspicions that are naturally emerging within our community and beyond.

Together Gibraltar calls on the Government to further explain why these former officers were given preferential treatment and what role they may have in the Mc Grail Inquiry, in order to allay suspicions and protect the public interest. The party would also like Government to explain if it was aware of the issues that these decisions would raise, and if so, explain why it decided to ignore any notion of common sense and responsible governance and go ahead with them anyway.”

Together Gibraltar stands for a progressive, democratic and accountable Gibraltar that respects human rights and due process and will call out any attempts by the Government to undermine these values. The party would also like to clarify that it is the government itself, and its disregard for the potential implications of these clearly inappropriate measures, that is putting Gibraltar’s reputation at risk, and not those who fight to ensure the respectability of our institutions.

ENDS