In an opinion piece published in Wednesday’s edition of the JEP, the former Health Minister argues that it is essential that the legislature makes ‘an unreserved condemnation’ of anyone found to have lied.
‘Jersey’s legislature simply has to confront this matter,’ he writes.
‘It has to condemn Deputy Andrew Lewis and, by doing so, send a very clear message to all who come to occupy executive posts that there will be zero tolerance for those who lie to our parliament.
‘If it does, then perhaps we’re taking those first steps on the long, hard road towards making our polity reliable and safe.
‘If it does not, then we the public will see that the necessary task, the task of protecting vulnerable children, falls to us, and that we have to remember that fact when we enter the voting booth.’
As has been widely reported, the abuse inquiry panel found that Deputy Lewis lied to the States in an in-camera debate about the suspension of the then police chief Graham Power in 2008. It also concluded that he lied to them in his evidence about the suspension of Mr Power.
Deputy Lewis has always denied that he lied, arguing that he simply phrased his comments badly and never intended to mislead.
During the in-camera States debate on 2 December 2008 about the suspension of Mr Power, Deputy Lewis, then the Home Affairs Minister, said: ‘Members will be aware that an investigation has been carried out by the Metropolitan Police and I was presented with a preliminary report on the basis of that investigation.’
In fact, Deputy Lewis had read a report written by the then deputy police chief David Warcup, which included the officer’s own views on the management of Operation Rectangle, the historical child abuse inquiry, and what he said were preliminary findings of the Metropolitan Police.
At no point during the in-camera debate did he tell Members that the ‘preliminary report’ was written by Mr Warcup.
Deputy Lewis has insisted that States Members knew exactly what he meant when he said that he had read a damning report compiled by the Metropolitan Police when he had, in fact, only read a letter written by Mr Warcup.
On Tuesday, the Deputy appeared before the States Privileges and Procedures Committee to answer their questions about the comments he made to the States and the abuse inquiry. They will decide whether he should face any sanction for his actions.
Read Mr Syvret’s opinion piece in full in Wednesday’s JEP.
