Transparency campaigners urge due process in Gibraltar corruption inquiry

Summary

The McGrail Inquiry is a Commission of Inquiry established in February 2022 to investigate the reasons and circumstances surrounding the early retirement of Gibraltar's former Police Commissioner, Ian McGrail. McGrail claimed he was pressured into taking early retirement in June 2020 after seeking to execute a search warrant against an associate of the territory's Chief Minister, Fabian Picardo. The inquiry is set to begin next month, but Gibraltar's Government has published a new bill that could give it powers to stop the inquiry before it concludes. Transparency International UK has expressed concerns over the bill, stating that any attempt to fetter the independence of the inquiry or obstruct its progress would undermine confidence in Gibraltar's governance. The inquiry has held preliminary hearings and issued a call for evidence, but its subsequent hearings and main hearing have been delayed due to a data breach.