Mar 03 – Number Six: GSD “Clearly Hugely Embarrassed by OEM Claims And Unsecured Secret Loans”
The recent response from the GSD to the Chief Minister's statements regarding the OEM Liquidation litigation is “striking in being so entirely contrary to the actions that the GSD pursued in Government,” says a statement from Number Six.
The Government says that when the GSD were first elected and continued the process of litigation commenced by the GSLP against the developer and constructors of Harbour Views, they did so whilst fully condemning the GSLP for its actions as Government. The Government argues that that really did endanger the claim which represented millions of pounds of taxpayers’ money.
In the circumstances, says Number Six, the GSD cannot now suggest that a different approach should be taken unless the party is “either politically hypocritical in the extreme and is saying "do as we say and not as we did", or the present leadership of the GSD is entirely abrogating the actions of its previous leadership.”
The Chief Minister, Fabian Picardo, said: "The GSD can't have it both ways. They criticised the GSLP when handling the Harbour Views fiasco and now don't want to be criticised when we are having to handle the OEM fiasco. It smacks of outstanding political hypocrisy. In any event, as they know, we have been careful not to criticise the GSD in the tunnel litigation, but their actions in respect of these affordable housing schemes demonstrate one thing: on leaving government their legacy to the taxpayer was far from golden, it was a rotten legacy riddled with claims, all of which we will have to defend. Moreover, they also granted, without announcement secret loans to developers amounting to millions of pounds. They secretly lent £4m on a wing and a prayer! The loans were unsecured and the companies to which they were granted went into liquidation. It's no surprise the GSD are hugely embarrassed by these loans and by the claims they left behind to the taxpayer. Now that the secret is out, Mr Feetham has nowhere left to hide and his criticisms of our transparency and accountability, which is second to none, is left in tatters for all except his most sycophantic supporters to see."
