The GSD says the Government has “avoided any scrutiny on its conclusions as part of the Budget debate” following the tabling of the Principal Auditor’s report for 2018/19.

A statement from the GSD follows below:

The result of the tabling of the Principal Auditor’s report for 2018/19 today means that the Government has avoided  any scrutiny on its conclusions as part of the Budget debate. 

This is precisely the scenario put to the Chief Minister by the Leader of the Opposition in Parliament on 26 June 2025.  At that stage the Chief Minister pointedly refused to answer whether he had already received a copy of the Report.  Mr Picardo was told that it looked like he was interested in making sure the Report did not emerge ahead of the budget  debate. The Chief Minister also refused to “…give any timeline for the tabling” of the Report.  

We now know that there was an attempt to deliver the report to Parliament on 13 June 2025. The Opposition had in  fact received information late on 26 June 2025 (after Chief Minister’s Questions) that this was the case and sought  confirmation by email that day. This was not received till 3 July 2025 in Parliament when the Speaker made a statement  and only after the Opposition had itself issued a press release on 2 July 2025 following confirmation of the delivery  date by the new Principal Auditor in writing. 

All that has happened since then seems to be that the report has been retrieved and redelivered by the new Principal  Auditor. Why any concerns as to the form of delivery could not have been resolved between 13 June 2025 and 26 June 2025 is a burning question. This would have allowed the Report to have been laid before the budget. Given that the  budget is about a debate on the public finances of Gibraltar issues of financial governance contained in the Report  would have been highly relevant and very much in the public interest. 

Leader of the Opposition, Keith Azopardi said:  

“The ultimate result is that there has been a game of pass the parcel and the Report has not seen the light of day till  today and after the budget debate. The fact that it emerges in this way means that Parliament will not be able to  debate any aspect of it till after the summer recess in a few months’ time. The beneficiary of that delay has been the  Government. 

It is already obvious that there are very serious recommendations and findings in the report which the GSD will  consider in detail and comment on as appropriate. Again the beneficiary of those issues not coming out during the  budget debate has been the Government.”