NEW measures dealing with how politicians can be punished when complaints against them are upheld will be considered as part of a major review backed by the States Assembly.
Politicians voted unanimously in favour of a proposition brought by Deputy Raluca Kovacs, who said the existing sanctions available were narrow and inflexible, negatively impacting levels of public trust in the Assembly.
Increased suspensions, the introduction of a recall mechanism and disqualifying politicians from office could all form part of the review into breaches of the Code of Conduct, to be carried out by the Privileges and Procedures Committee by the end of 2026.
The proposition was debated in the wake of court appearances this year by Deputy Philip Ozouf, who has admitted a series of offences under the Island’s immigration laws, for which he will be sentenced by the Royal Court next year.
Following a debate that took place behind closed doors earlier this month, Deputy Ozouf was suspended with pay pending the outcome of the sentencing hearing. The former Treasury Minister had only recently returned to the Assembly from a 28-day suspension, without pay, after his conviction for motoring offences earlier this year.
The aim of the proposition was, Deputy Kovacs said, to ensure that when misconduct occurred, the response was “fair, proportionate and clear”.
She added: “Recent events have highlighted that our current approach does not distinguish clearly enough between serious and less serious breaches, nor does it always provide guidance on what the proportionate response should look like.”
Deputy Kovacs accepted an amendment from Deputy Moz Scott aimed at ensuring all of the Assembly’s rules were included within the scope of the review.
Deputy Scott said that the current situation brought a risk of “protracted and unsavoury debate”.
The chair of PPC, Deputy Steve Ahier, said his committee were already looking into the issue and were supportive of the proposition as amended.
Completion of the review should be achieved by the end of the current political term next April, ahead of the 2026 election, he added, but there would be scope for the matter to be finalised by the next PPC, which will be formed during the weeks after the election.
“Ultimately it will be a matter for this Assembly to determine what system should be in place,” he said.
Members voted by 41-0 in favour of the proposition, with Deputy Kirsten Morel opting to abstain.
