The GSD has said that, if the ongoing Inquest concludes by Friday, the Report should be published “immediately and by Monday” adding that it should “not now be held back for any other reason.” 

A statement continued: “Leaving it till later next week will take the publication so close to Christmas as to effectively be an attempt by the Government to bury this into the Christmas break. Given that they have had it for 6 weeks already that would be outrageous and counterproductive to the public interest given the very serious issues that were at stake. The holding back of the Report so that Mr Picardo could be available to respond from 5 December 2025 was no more than the GSLP Government acting in accordance with its own self-serving interests and not the public interest. Was there no other Minister who was able to do an interview on the subject given that the Government of Gibraltar were core participants? 

“Additionally, it is increasingly untenable for the Government to resist disclosing the embargoed copy to the Leader of the Opposition immediately when GBC and the Chronicle have had it for nearly two weeks.”

Leader of the Opposition, Keith Azopardi said: “Hanging on to the Report for dear life can only be because they are so worried about its contents. By next Monday the GSLP Government will have had the report for nearly 7 weeks and GBC and the Chronicle almost three weeks. How is it reasonable to provide an embargoed copy to the main press for weeks but withhold it from the Opposition? It is no more than naked party-political interest and the GSLP leadership and leadership contenders need to justify that. This is a Government that is running scared from publication, still acting in a self-serving way and trying to massage all aspects of the presentation of the report. The public will see through all that when the time comes.”