VSB Limited have issued a reply to the Government's recent statement regarding the Victoria Stadium.

A statement on behalf of VSB Limited follows below:

Our client, VSB Limited, notes the public statement issued this afternoon by the Government of Gibraltar concerning proceedings currently before the Supreme Court, presided over by the Hon. the Chief Justice.  It is a longstanding and well-respected convention in jurisdictions governed by the rule of law that parties to ongoing litigation refrain from making public statements pending judgment.

Our client considers the Government’s intervention to be wholly inappropriate and potentially prejudicial to the judicial process.  Neither VSB Limited nor its director, Mr Allan Asquez, will depart from the principle that submissions are properly made to the Court, not the media. Our client’s case has been presented in open court by local counsel, and our client will await the Court’s ruling with the respect that the process demands.  

The Government’s statement appears animated by a desire to deflect public scrutiny concerning its legal strategy, including questions about the cost to the public purse of retaining leading London counsel. That, of course, is not a matter for our client, but for the Gibraltarian taxpayer. It is notable, however, that while the Government has issued a denial of a specific figure alleged in public discourse, it has declined to provide any transparency as to what it is in fact paying its legal team.  

More concerning still is the implied suggestion that our client should face financial reprisal, by way of a punitive costs order, for having had the temerity to seek judicial protection of his legal rights. That is regrettable. The use of the costs jurisdiction should never become a weapon of deterrence for those who seek to vindicate constitutional or statutory rights against the State.  

It is also notable that the Government’s press release omits to mention that, in addition to its lead counsel, it is represented by a second leading London King’s Counsel and a full team from one of Gibraltar’s foremost legal practices.  If the Government wishes to provide the public with clarity as to the expenditure incurred in this litigation, it may do so by disclosing full and accurate figures in a spirit of transparency and accountability.

Our client will not be drawn into political commentary.  The proceedings are now in the hands of the Court, and our client continues to place full confidence in the independence and impartiality of the Gibraltarian judiciary.