Mar 21 - GSD Questions Juan Verde Influence in Chief Minister Presidential Dinner Invite
The GSD continues to press the Government with a line of questioning regarding the Chief Minister’s visit to Washington where he attended a dinner hosted for donors and benefactors of newly re-elected President Barack Obama.
With the Government ‘refusing’ to answer the Opposition’s questions, the party has insisted that for them to say that they did not make any direct payments does not serve to allay the Opposition’s concerns.
A statement released by the GSD noted, ‘clearly, the Government could not have made any such payment because the Presidential Inauguration Committee could not have accepted donations from a foreign Government. The issue then is this: “Who made the donation to the Obama campaign, which allowed the Chief Minister and others to attend at the relevant event/s? What arrangements, if any, does the Government have in place with that person/s or company? Why would the donor have facilitated the Chief Minister’s participation in the event?’
The party also notes that Thinking Green speaker and campaign manager for President Obama, Juan Verde, was mentioned in his official website as being an advisor for the Government of Gibraltar. The information has since been removed from the webpage and now reads ‘Juan… serves on the International Advisory Committee to the Government of Lithuania among other governments national and regional.’
The Opposition is requesting that the Government clarifies what, if any, consultancy arrangements it has or has had with Mr Juan Verde directly or indirectly; and, what payments have, to date, been made by the Government of Gibraltar to Mr Verde or any company in which he has a direct or indirect interest in respect of any consultancy or other arrangements, including but not limited to the Thinking Green Conference.
