Sacarello urges ministers to reject motion on principal auditor’s report 

GSD MP Craig Sacarello urged Government ministers on Monday to vote against the Government’s amended motion on the Principal Auditor’s 2018/19 report, saying backing it would place loyalty to the Chief Minister above the independence of Gibraltar’s institutions. 

Addressing ministers, Mr Sacarello told them they faced a choice from which there was no turning back.  

“Is to declare that loyalty to a reportedly outgoing Chief Minister is more important than the independence of Gibraltar's institutions?” he asked.  

“To do so is, in effect, to unquestionably state that you are willing to trade in democracy for political convenience.” 

“You have an opportunity to demonstrate true strength of character in voting against this amended motion [and] history will remember this moment.” 

Mr Sacarello said the motion went beyond correcting “minor inaccuracies” in the audit report and instead sought to “undermine and discredit” an institution that had been central to public accountability for decades. 

He argued that the issue was “not merely a matter of party politics” but “one of staunch defence of our democratic institutions”, saying Gibraltar had been “built on strong institutions” that had nurtured public trust.  

That trust, he added, depended on assuring people that government remained committed to transparency and institutional independence. 

Mr Sacarello accused the Government of having in recent months turned Parliament into “a quasi kangaroo court” and of calling into question the independence of the office of the Principal Auditor, an office he described as one of Gibraltar’s “proudest democratic institutions”. 

He said the Chief Minister had “flip flopped” on whether to reject the report in its entirety and had chosen to “firmly reject and rewrite the parts he just does not like”, comparing this to “receiving as a lousy school report and then rewriting it to look brilliant before handing it over to his parents”.  

He also criticised the decision to enlist “an expensive London silk”, saying the Government had failed to recognise the public concern caused by the report and the desire for “acknowledgment of the Government's errors”. 

Citing the recent GBC poll, Mr Sacarello said “over 80% of the 1000 people polled say that their votes would be very or somewhat influenced by its findings”.  

He said there had been “no contrition, no apology” from the Government and suggested money spent on legal advice “perhaps… should have been better directed towards a halfway house and not on creating their own kangaroo court”. 

Mr Sacarello argued that the public was “seeking contrition and solutions, not more lawyers”, 

Hr said that since 1971 the Principal Auditor’s office had represented “not political theatre, but accountability”.  

He pointed to statements earlier this year in which the Chief Minister had said “the Office of the Principal Auditor must be protected from party politics” and the auditor “free to say and not say what he wants, when he wants”. 

Mr Sacarello contrasted this with later criticism of “incompetence, bias and a failure of objectivity”. 

He referred to a Government press release on April 25 2025 that stated “the political pressure on the Principal Auditor is unacceptable” and that the auditor “is not an instrument of any political party, nor should he be subject to commentary designed to pressure or coerce him”.  

Mr Sacarello said this had not prevented the Chief Minister from describing the audit report as “poisoned and jaundiced”, or Sir Joe Bossano from calling the report “a farce of an audit and insanity”. 

“What is this motion if not explicitly interference, pressure and politicisation?” Mr Sacarello asked, adding the amended motion condemned the competence and independence of the auditor and accused the report of “completely compromising its accuracy and reliability”. 

Mr Sacarello also questioned the Government’s wider record on transparency, citing delays in tabling audit reports and non-disclosure agreements for civil servants.  

He said that while the Chief Minister had previously told Parliament he “would not wish to do anything that might be seen as interference with the independence of the Principal Auditor”, the current motion left that promise “in tatters”. 

He claimed that civil servants were “made to sign agreements binding them to silence about the inner workings of government” and that businesses feared losing contracts if they criticised the Government publicly.  

“In a society where public servants feel gagged, where private citizens fear reprisal, oversight becomes impossible,” Mr Sacarello said, adding that “without strong institutions, democracy itself erodes”. 

Mr Sacarello linked the debate to wider international concerns about democratic backsliding, saying “the erosion of democracy is not just a Gibraltar story” and warning of a “slow corrosion” of independent voices.  

He said events such as the McGrail Inquiry and the reaction to the Principal Auditor’s report had damaged Gibraltar’s international reputation and could deter potential investors at a time when the Rock should be “enjoying the fruits of the forthcoming treaty”. 

He defended recommendations from the Principal Auditor’s office on good governance, including the establishment of a Public Accounts Committee, saying these overlapped with Opposition policy because “good governance transcends party politics and seeks to protect the public, not because it carries favour or bias”.  

He noted that countries such as Malta, Cyprus and microstates including the Cayman Islands and St Kitts and Nevis had similar watchdog bodies.  

“If they can embrace oversight, why can't you follow them?” Mr Sacarello asked. “What does the Government have to hide.” 

Mr Sacarello insisted that the public had “a right to know how their money is spent”, arguing that “transparency demands scrutiny, not suppression.” 

He framed the vote on the motion as a test of Gibraltar’s commitment to its institutions and checks and balances.  

“Dig deep into your souls,” Mr Sacarello told ministers. 

“Find the strength of character to defend the office of the Principal Auditor you once praised and reject this motion today, to protect the democracy we will all depend on tomorrow.”