Lawyer Charles Gomez accuses Government of misuse of power

The lawyer represented former Police Commissioner Ian McGrail says he believes there has been a "serious breakdown in the constitutional boundaries that preserve our democracy".

Speaking in a personal capacity, Charles Gomez says the Government has taken advantage of parliamentary privilege to make vague accusations and serious allegations against a private citizen with no right of reply.

Charles Gomez accuses the Government of a misuse of power.

He says Parliament was reduced to a platform for condemnation of individuals and of the institution of the Royal Gibraltar Police.

He says for ministers to declare in Parliament that a major police investigation impacting on national security was "cooked up" is executive overreach - adding they also dismissed judicial findings and undermined the work of independent prosecutors.

Mr Gomez says Sir Joe Bossano's position is incoherent, arguing he cannot claim a prosecution was baseless yet absolve those who pursued it of responsibility.

He says the Government's actions demonstrate that it has not understood or accepted what he calls "the profound seriousness of the findings against the Chief Minister" in the McGrail Inquiry report.