AG welcomes that Inquiry report ‘roundly rejects’ all allegations against him

Attorney General Michael Llamas, KC, on Tuesday welcomed findings by Sir Peter Openshaw rejecting allegations by former police Commissioner Ian McGrail that he had placed inappropriate pressure or interfered in Operation Delhi, and that he was complicit in seeking his removal from office.

“After a thorough and exhaustive examination of the facts, Sir Peter Openshaw has fully and roundly rejected both of those allegations,” Mr Llamas said in a statement referring to the relevant parts of the report.

Sir Peter said “I simply do not accept that Mr Llamas tried to interfere with the investigation before the search warrant was granted, let alone that he did so improperly, as Mr McGrail has alleged”.

In relation to three subsequent meetings Mr Llamas held with Mr McGrail, Sir Peter found: “Mr Llamas’s skilled diplomacy in brokering an arrangement, which the RGP themselves voluntarily accepted, cannot in my opinion amount to an interference with the investigation, and it did not do so”.

The report added: “Did the [Attorney-General]…place any or any inappropriate pressure on Mr McGrail regarding the investigation or otherwise interfere with the investigation, and in particular the RGP’s intention to execute the search warrants?”

“In my opinion, by his conduct and approach to these three meetings, in the circumstances that I have described, the Attorney-General did not do so”.

With respect to the allegation that Mr Llamas was complicit in seeking Mr McGrail’s removal from office, Sir Peter said: “I reject entirely the suggestion that [Mr Llamas] was in some way involved in a corrupt conspiracy to remove Mr McGrail from office. I cannot put it plainer than that”.

“The Openshaw Report therefore vindicates in full my position during the Inquiry and roundly rejects all the allegations made against me by Mr McGrail,” Mr Llamas said in the statement.

“I deeply regret that Mr McGrail should have felt the need to resort to such serious but false and unfounded allegations against me.”

“I am part of the Government only as a lawyer, its most senior law officer.”

“I would never engage in improper or inappropriate practices in carrying out my public duties.”

Mr Llamas acknowledged criticism in the report that he, alongside many other key players, had not kept a record of official meetings.

“I duly take note of this and of the fact that Government has already taken steps to remedy this practice,” the Attorney General said.

Mr Llamas also noted of the report’s observation that he “should have exercised extreme caution” before responding to a call from James Levy during the events under scrutiny, “…pursuant to what the Chairman acknowledged was the convention in Gibraltar of the Attorney General being regarded as the guardian of the public interest and being approached in the event of any allegation of abuse of power or process by the RGP.”

“I would like to express my deep gratitude to Sir Peter Caruana KC, Mr Chris Allan and Mr Phillip Dumas for their tremendous work during this whole process and for the successful results achieved,” Mr Llamas added.