The Government says it has filed a complaint with the Director General of OLAF, the European Union's Anti-Fraud Office, in relation to the conduct of Mr Joaquin Gonzalez-Herrero, who is an OLAF adviser in one of the investigative Directorates of that organisation.

Although Mr Gonzalez-Herrero is not part of the directorate that investigated Gibraltar, he is an adviser in a parallel directorate.

Mr Gonzalez-Herrero last week gave a lengthy interview to Spanish newsagency "Agencia EFE". This was presented in Spain generally as the position of an OLAF official.

The comments made by Mr Gonzalez-Herrero last week were, say the Government, unprompted by any need to advance the recommendations in OLAF's Final Report and will have been widely read in Gibraltar.

In the circumstances, the Government considers that, in respect of such a sensitive matter as the OLAF investigation, which may require consideration of possible prosecutions, it is “highly irregular” for there to have been interviews granted by an OLAF adviser commenting on the OLAF Final Report.

OLAF's complaints procedure, the Government insists, requires that complaints of this nature be directed to the Director General of the organisation.

The Chief Minister, Fabian Picardo, said: "Gibraltar is acting properly and responsibly upon receipt of the OLAF Final Report. We are not dealing with the issue as if it were a political matter, but an ongoing investigation. We are working to ensure we address the OLAF concerns. In that context, the manner in which Mr Gonzalez-Herrero's interview has been presented in a form that has been so prejudicial for Gibraltar, it is important for us to highlight the breaches of OLAF's code and the EU's own codes."