May 17 – Number Six: “The GSD’s Cut-Throat Politics Is Not Conducive To The Good Of Gibraltar”
The response by the GSD to Minister Albert Isola's statement on his Declaration of Members' Interests form demonstrates that they are lazy, reckless and negligent in their approach to Gibraltar politics, according to the latest statement from the Government.
A statement released by Number Six yesterday evening continued: “Minister Isola has already set out that his declaration in 2014 (and subsequent 2016 declaration) is correct as it reflects his interest in the Fiduciary Group which owns Artnell Associates Ltd, a firm that provided limited professional Director services. There was therefore no need for Mr Isola to disclose his professional activity in respect of that company on his personal Declaration of Interest form. There has therefore been no failure by Mr Isola to disclose anything that should have been disclosed.
“The GSD have therefore been lazy in just repeating their original nonsensical allegations for the purposes simply of trying to tarnish Mr Isola in their usual venemous fashion.
“What is clear is that the GSD continue to be negligent and reckless about whether their allegations also tarnish Gibraltar. Already Spanish press reports of their statements have suggested that a Gibraltar Minister has hidden an interest in a Bahamanian entity when this is blatantly untrue and not the case. The allegations are being used to try to damage Gibraltar generally and not just the Government.
“The venom with which the GSD are prosecuting the issue, despite the answers already provided demonstrating there is nothing to pursue, is blatant and demonstrates a complete lack of judgment on the part of those in the ‘new’ GSD making decisions about how to conduct the public affairs of Gibraltar.”
The Chief Minister, Fabian Picardo, said: "I have been hugely impressed by the number of people who have been in touch with Albert Isola, other members of the Government and with me directly to condemn the manner in which the GSD has so disgracefully conducted itself in making these baseless allegations against Albert. We have received some truly touching messages of support and empathy from the widest cross section of the Community as a whole and the Financial Services fraternity in particular. All are incensed at the manner in which the GSD has been so reckless in making these unfounded allegations against Albert and their negligent lack of concern for how they will be exploited against Gibraltar generally. To see them repeat the whole set of allegations again in a press statement this morning, even after Albert has already clarified that his interests have been properly disclosed in his Declaration of Interests form, is even worse but helps to usefully illustrate just how bloody-minded the GSD are being about this matter: not caring about the truth and just seeking to misrepresent the facts. People will see through this. The Gibraltar public is too clever to be duped by Mr Feetham and the GSD on an issue relating to Albert's probity and professional conduct. In fact, it says something about how reckless and negligent the GSD are that they haven't appeared to notice that the allegations they make relate to conduct by Mr Isola covering the periods when both Daniel Feetham and Eliott Phillips have been his partners at Isola & Isola. I therefore have no hesitation in reasserting my full and unstinting confidence in Albert and in his having properly disclosed his interests. The GSD are entirely wrong about this as they are about so much else: the cut-throat way that they do politics is not conducive to working together for the good of Gibraltar."
{fcomment}
