All criminal allegations in McGrail saga should be investigated independently, says GSD

The GSD Opposition has questioned why the Chief Minister would not have passed on evidence of 'potential criminality' to the Commissioner of Police.

Speaking to GBC, Fabian Picardo said he had seen evidence while Richard Ullger said he had not.

The Opposition states all criminal allegations in the McGrail Saga should be investigated independently

The Opposition insists it's strange the Chief Minister should say he's aware of evidence of “potential criminality” but that the current Commissioner of Police, Mr Ullger said he had not seen that evidence. It adds, the Commissioner of Police told the Gibraltar Today programme that the proper port of call for anyone who does have evidence of criminal wrongdoing is to report this to the Police. It adds it's doubly strange that Fabian Picardo who's a core figure in the events of May and June 2020, should be the recipient of that information and not the Commissioner of Police.

It states what Mr Picardo’s press release on the whistleblowers law conveniently leaves out is that in the case of police officers a qualifying disclosure should primarily be made to the Commissioner of Police and in the case of criminal wrongdoing the appropriate investigative authority is the Police.

The GSD also questions the chronology saying it's unclear when this evidence was provided and whether it came before or after other jobs in the public service were given to some of the individuals. It adds legitimate questions arise in relation to the timing: as to what the motivations or inducements were for the making of these statements and how these allegations are being collated and surfacing now. It Adds if these are historical allegations it's equally legitimate to ask who is benefitting from these allegations being thrown about now.

Leader of the Opposition, Keith Azopardi says “The constant question that remains is how allegations of unrelated issues that are not about what happened in May and June 2020 between Mr Picardo and Mr McGrail are actually relevant to the Public Inquiry or whether they are being deployed as diversionary tactics." Those questions, he says, are matters for the Inquiry Chairman who should assess all allegations.

Beyond that, he adds, if there is any evidence of potential criminal wrongdoing or misconduct in office this should also be investigated by the police in the normal way and as necessary the remit of the current independent investigation should be extended by the Governor to cover those issues.

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