Presidents shocked by ‘secret' investigation into States' Braye Lodge purchase

But the investigation was kept secret from the two politicians who initiated the deal – including their own committee president.

Concerns raised by Mark Helyar and David Mahoney led to the inquiry into whether there were irregularities when the States helped facilitate the Guernsey Housing Association’s purchase of the former Braye Lodge Hotel for key worker housing.

The investigation, which found no wrongdoing or failures of process, came as a shock to P&R president Peter Ferbrache and Employment & Social Security president Peter Roffey when they found out about it months later from sources outside their committees.

‘With States experience stretching back more than 40 years, I have never heard of such a spurious fishing expedition being insisted on by some States members in the hope of finding malfeasance by some of their colleagues,’ said Deputy Roffey.

‘It is more astonishing still that one of their targets was their own committee president, Peter Ferbrache.

‘If any deputy thinks I or others may have acted wrongly, I suggest they have it out face-to-face and learn the facts rather than running around behind their backs trying to dig up non-existent dirt.’

The site in Ruette Braye was purchased for £1.8m. with the help of a States capital grant for affordable housing. There are plans to redevelop it into at least 20 new homes for healthcare workers by the end of 2026.

When Deputies Ferbrache and Roffey found out the site was for sale, they encouraged States officials to secure it to help satisfy increasing demand for key worker housing.

‘We wanted it because of its proximity to the hospital – for a public purpose rather than being sold to a commercial developer who, quite understandably, would have developed it for commercial housing,’ said Deputy Ferbrache.

‘We wanted it, if at all possible within the bounds of reason and total propriety. It was done through States officials. That was the approach.’

Deputy Ferbrache said he had no idea why Deputies Helyar and Mahoney prompted the investigation. Despite being colleagues on the States’ senior committee, they did not speak to him about their concerns or the investigation until he told them at the end of last week that the Guernsey Press had learned of the events from undisclosed sources and would be reporting on them.

‘If somebody did have concerns about me, I would have expected them to tap me on the shoulder and say “we think you’ve done something untoward”. But that's politics and life – and life moves on,’ said Deputy Ferbrache.

Deputies Ferbrache and Roffey were not interviewed as part of the investigation, which also used a retired lawyer.

‘I understand that when the high-powered team brought in to investigate the alleged impropriety reported back that they had found no such thing, and could take the investigation no further without interviewing Deputy Ferbrache and myself, the whole matter was dropped,’ said Deputy Roffey.

Both committee presidents said they had no intention of discussing the matter publicly until the Guernsey Press contacted them with questions.

Deputies Helyar and Mahoney issued a joint statement yesterday acknowledging that the investigation had uncovered no failures of process or wrongdoing but defending their actions in raising concerns.

‘We are under a duty as public servants and scrutineers to challenge information provided to us and to deal with specific complaints or allegations of irregularities made to us by members of the public about the activities of the States,’ they said.

DEPUTIES accused of instigating a ‘fishing expedition’ into the conduct of two committee presidents have insisted they were justified in pursuing an investigation into the purchase of the former Braye Lodge Hotel for key worker housing.

‘We are fully entitled, and will continue, to question the quality and veracity of information presented to us and the robustness and independence of processes upon which we regularly have to make multimillion-pound decisions on behalf of the public,’ said Policy & Resources members David Mahoney and Mark Helyar.

Deputies Peter Ferbrache, president of Deputy Helyar and Mahoney’s own committee, and Peter Roffey, president of Employment & Social Security, were shocked that their two colleagues did not speak to them about the concerns before prompting the investigation, which head of the public service Mark de Garis appointed a retired senior police officer to lead.

But Deputies Helyar and Mahoney defended the need for confidentiality.

‘States members must deal regularly with a range of public complaint.

‘Members of the public raising issues have a legitimate expectation that their concerns will be dealt with in confidence by elected representatives and, more importantly, by the civil service, who are supposed to be supporting us,’ they said.

‘It is particularly important to protect the identity of whistle blowers or we face developing a government culture where people will be afraid to speak up about legitimate concerns for fear of their identity being secretly disclosed to the media.’

Mr de Garis has no powers to investigate States members, but Deputy Roffey has claimed that he now believes that he and Deputy Ferbrache were their colleagues’ ultimate targets.

‘Following concerns being raised, an urgent and independent review was carried out to identify whether there was any aspect of the alleged matters which would require further investigation under the civil service code or any other appropriate body. The review found there were none,’ said Mr de Garis yesterday.

‘It is not unusual for me to commission individuals who are independent of the States and its public service to review or otherwise investigate concerns or complaints.

‘It is very important that anyone who has such concerns feels able to raise them on a confidential basis or otherwise.

‘I have a duty to safeguard the interests of the States and ensure the conduct and standards required of public servants in supporting political members is maintained.’