  |
Picardo says he will ask further questions on 'conflicts of interest'
|
Opposition member Fabian Picardo says in a two-page PANORAMA interview that he is to ask more questions in Parliament on 'conflicts of interest'. It follows the row that ensued recently when he asked about a property transaction and concessions at the Leisure Centre, the question not being allowed by the Speaker Haresh Budhrani.
Asked about it by interviewer Brian McCann, Mr Picardo said: I gave notice of the question because I wanted to highlight this issue. We do come across many conflicts of interest in normal life in Gibraltar. This was potentially one of them. I think that this particular case will still require further investigation, despite the intemperate answer provided by Mr Caruana under cover of a government press release and the comments from the less than erudite Mr Russo in the local press.
I also think that there are potentially many other instances of conflicts of interest which surround recent actions, tender awards and permissions granted by the GSD which bear closer scrutiny. In each case, everything may have been perfectly honest, but that does not mean that we should not have in place a proper code or procedure to deal with the obvious or apparently obvious conflicts that arise so that they are resolved in an objectively justifiable manner.
That is my main aim now in public life. I think that this is the best way in which I serve the public, who I believe want to see these issues dealt with in the open, transparent and accountable manner in which Mr Caruana pretends he deals with things (although he does not; as has been proved by his reaction when I have had the temerity to question him).
|
|
|
|
