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On Saturday, Fabian Picardo brought up his disagreement with former Commissioner Ian McGrail in his GibTalk.
Picardo used his position as the main speaker of this popular TED Talks style event to reiterate a controversial claim that was examined in detail during the McGrail inquiry last year.
In May of that year [2020]”The Commissioner of Police of Gibraltar came to my office and lied in my face,” he said during his speech. Picardo’s Inferno in the 10th Circle of Hell – Brexit in the Time of COVID.
“Not a simple year,” he said.
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The comment refers back to the murky episode surrounding McGrail’s highly controversial resignation in June 2020. There were many claims and counterclaims that led to a final public inquiry.
In a statement fired out by his lawyer the following day, McGrail criticised the leader for using the platform to accuse him of ‘deceit’.
It said: “This baseless, defamatory claim has been vigorously challenged and refuted publicly under forensic examination during the Inquiry. The findings are still pending.”
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“Yet Mr. Picardo continues to try and tarnish the integrity of Mr. McGrail.”
The letter went on to blast Picardo’s ‘pattern of conduct that is entirely unbecoming of a minister of Gibraltar.’
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It concluded by asserting Picardo had ‘abused the privilege afforded to him by the [GibTalks] “The Inquiry has a platform that is not used to inform or inspire but rather to launch another unsubstantiated and spiteful attack on an individual whose reputation is under careful and impartial examination.”
Just hours later, Picardo released his own statement claiming he ‘genuinely believes’ McGrail lied to him and he would ‘not be prevented from doing so by any condemnation rolled out by Mr McGrail and his taxpayer-funded lawyers.’
“The Openshaw Inquiry doesn’t look at whether Mr McGrail told me the truth or not. But, it is abundantly evident, objectively and scientifically, that Mr McGrail has lied to my face in Convent Place No 6.
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“It’s equally clear to me, that a Chief Minister or Commissioner of Police lying to him should not be acceptable for any Gibraltarian.
“Mr McGrail’s criticism is irrelevant to me, and I have a clear memory of the deception he committed.
In my GibTalk I reflected on the events that have happened to me over the last 10 years.
“Mr McGrail’s part is only anecdotally significant, but it’s not hugely relevant in the context of my most recent decade at Government.”
The spat takes place in the shadows of Sir Peter Openshaw’s upcoming report on the circumstances surrounding McGrail’s retirement.
The highly anticipated document is set to land ‘unless any unforeseen contingency arises’ in ‘late spring 2025′.
Its arrival will follow a lengthy ‘Maxwellisation process’, in which any party set to be criticised will have the chance to respond ahead of publication.
McGrail, officers of Royal Gibraltar Police and others testified at the grand scope inquiry.
It also heard from high-ranking members of the government – including Fabian Picardo – and senior lawyers at Hassans law firm.
The news that Openshaw will give the parties three months to respond and digest criticism is likely to make some powerful people on the Rock feel uncomfortable.
This newspaper was told by a source that the criticism would be harsh for a few.
“However, the ‘Maxwellisation process’ is actually a way to put those gloves back on.”
The inquiry has also received ‘additional evidence’ since the hearings ended in June, throwing another spanner into the works for those wondering what to expect.
