Together Gibraltar has expressed “serious concern” at the findings presented in the Principal Auditor’s latest report, which it says “once again uncovers troubling instances of unjust ministerial overreach and poor governance.” 

A statement continued: “Among the most alarming revelations is the alleged intervention by the Chief Minister in dictating whether or not the Gibraltar Savings Bank should be subject to an Anti-Money Laundering Compliance Audit. Such behaviour puts savers’ money, and Gibraltar’s reputation, at risk. We call for the immediate release of the minutes highlighted in the report to clarify under whose direction this audit was blocked. 

“It is deeply troubling to hear from this report that the Gibraltar Savings Bank continues to operate without a compliance officer. This lack of standard oversight exposes Gibraltar to reputational risk on the international stage and undermines public confidence. 

“Together Gibraltar has long celebrated Gibraltar savings bank as a place where Gibraltarians can securely save their money and where the government can responsibly invest in the public interest. But this can only succeed if there is full transparency about the nature, beneficiaries, and risk profile of those investments. 

“The report also outlines the Chief Minister’s intervention on financial matters outside of his jurisdiction. One payment of almost half a million pounds for construction work was switched from a grant to an ‘ex-gratia’ payment following discussions with the Chief Minister. 

“Other ex-gratia payments include hundreds of thousands of pounds paid to ex-police officers made outside of normal procedures. These payments raise serious questions about the independence and integrity of our public services and are particularly damaging for the Royal Gibraltar Police, whose officers are already struggling to manage public speculation of misconduct and corruption. 

“In addition to financial settlements, the report also finds that the Chief Minister has intervened directly in housing allocations, waiving eligibility requirements and assigning points based on his personal discretion. This is grossly unfair to those who have submitted excessive documentation and waited years for a chance at public housing - only to see others jump the queue through personal connections. This is a flagrant breach of the Housing Department’s independence, leading us to question where the Housing Minister has been during this process, and what value she has provided in her role. 

“Together Gibraltar will continue to fight for robust, transparent public services which treat people fairly. Managers must be empowered to make decisions free from political interference based on their expertise and the needs of our community. No one should need to know a minister personally to have a place to live.”