Together Gibraltar Raises Alarm Over Former Police Officers Accused of Serious Offenses Given Alternative Government Jobs At Similar Salaries
Together Gibraltar has expressed concerns regarding the employment of 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".
A statement from Together Gibraltar follows below:
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 feel 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?
