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July 03 - GSD Say Picardo’s “Selective Quoting” Of Auditor’s Report Is “Scandalous”

The GSD have issued the following response following the allegations of improper conduct made yesterday by the Government in relation to payments allegedly received by Mr Edwin Reyes:

The Government’s press release selectively quoting from the report of the Principal Auditor on the eve of the by-election is typical and characteristic of the political dishonesty of Mr Picardo.

Earlier today, the Leader of the Opposition personally telephoned and spoke to the Principal Auditor who, under the Constitution, is answerable to Parliament.  The Leader of the Opposition told him that he was formally phoning him to ask whether the Government’s press release reflects the views expressed in the report and, furthermore, that the Opposition intended to make public the views expressed by the Principal Auditor.   The Leader of the Opposition was informed by the Principal Auditor that the Government’s press release did not provide all the findings.  After being asked point blank by the Leader of the Opposition, the Principal Auditor confirmed that there is no allegation by him of impropriety and corruption against Mr Reyes to that effect in his report.  He also said that transactions in question occurred before Mr Reyes became a Government Minister.  In respect of Market Place no evidence was found in the investigation of any impropriety or corruption by the company owned by Mr Reyes' wife.  In relation to the Catalan Bay licence, the advice he had received from the Government's agents was that it could have been handled differently.

This is a far cry to the picture painted by the Government in its selective quotes from the report.

The GSD, therefore, calls upon Government to immediately publish the Auditor’s Report in full and not just selective parts of it.  It is appalling that Government should publish selective parts of a report just a day before the by-election and then say that the full report will be published in the future.  If Government refuses to do so in a timely way during the course of today the people of Gibraltar will draw their own inferences as to why they refuse to do so.