INTO POSSIBLE CORRUPTION OR OTHER SERIOUS DISHONESTY IN RECENT YEARS OF PAST AND PRESENT ELECTED MEMBERS OF THE LEGISLATURE

COMMISSION PRESS STATEMENT

16th April 2009

The Commission, since the submission to the Governor of its Interim Report on 28th February 2008, has been working on its final Report.  It has notified all those, in respect of whom it may make adverse findings, of the nature of those provisional findings.  It has now received most responses, but awaits a few more. 

The purpose of the exercise, often referred to as a Salmon Exercise - after the name of Lord Salmon, who recommended it in the interest of fairness, when a Lord Justice of Appeal and acting as Chairman of a Royal Commission on Tribunals of Inquiry in 1966 (Cmnd 3121) – is to give the recipients an opportunity to make representations to the Commission before it considers and makes its final findings and recommendations.  Receipt of any such letter is not to be taken by its recipient or anyone learning of it as, in itself, a finding of impropriety against the recipient.

The Commission hopes to have received all the remaining responses to its Salmon letters by 21st April.  It has been considering and taking into account those already received, and will do the same for those to come, before reaching its final conclusions in accordance with its terms of reference.

Laurance O’Dea

Secretary to the Commission

16th April 2009