Together Gibraltar has said it will “not let go” of the Lateral Flow Test “controversy”.

A statement from the party continued:

“In yet another delirious PR, Government has asked Together Gibraltar to both “let go” of its accusations of impropriety in the purchase of LFT’s for the GHA, and at the same time retract their accusations. Unfortunately, as much as the party understands that these spats are tedious to the general public, it will not retract or let go of this issue until the CM and the Minster for Health take responsibility for lying to the general public.

“Government has tried to apply its usual spin to confuse the general public, trying to obscure the fact that the GHA is purchasing LFT’s with the aid of a commercial middle-man who, in the legitimate pursuit of his interests, is substantially increasing the bill footed by the taxpayer. Logically, purchasing the tests directly from the supplier without the use of an agent would have been much cheaper for the taxpayer. This deal has been made in an opaque and arbitrary way, without any tender or public scrutiny, until TG brought the issue to light.

“In the last twist of their narrative, the Government now claim that La Linea pharmacist, Francisco Navarro, in the face of global shortages, was the “only supplier” capable of providing the tests needed by the GHA. No company, agency, country or institution from around the globe had access to tests at competitive prices. Francisco Navarro, under the auspices of a ready mixed concrete supplier, were the only ones that could do the job. This, the last in a long string of lies, is perhaps the most ridiculous.

“The Minister for Health and the CM have lied about this deal, and in their usual style are using ad-hominen attacks on TG leader Marlene Hassan-Nahon to discredit her pursuit of the truth. It seems like the GFSB are also not fully satisfied by the information disclosed so far by Government, as they have also released a statement today asking for clarity in this deal. The details of this deal must be made public in order for the public to have closure, and for Government to understand that Government contracts must be handled transparently and in a way that provides the best deal for the taxpayer always.”