The Policy & Resources Committee was asked to become involved after all deputies received an anonymous email containing a list of specific allegations that Marc Leadbeater and other members of his family maintained financial and other interests in the cannabis industry.
The claims included that shares in cannabis companies were recently transferred by Deputy Leadbeater to a close family member, including in one company employing another relative of his, and that he failed to submit his declaration of interests form on time to avoid making certain disclosures.
He strongly rejected the allegations on the latest Guernsey Press Politics Podcast, a few weeks ahead of a States debate on his requete which could pave the way for cannabis to be legalised locally.
Hear more from Deputy Leadbeater on the second part of Matt Fallaize’s two-part interview on the Guernsey Press Politics Podcast
‘I have no idea who is behind these claims. It’s just nonsense,’ said Deputy Leadbeater.
‘As I said on your Politics Podcast in the run-up to the election, I divested my shares and resigned from a position in the company. The company I was involved with is no longer a cannabis company.’
Deputy Leadbeater said he had no financial or directorial interest in any company in any industry, including cannabis.
‘People are saying I am trying to line my own pockets, but I have no association with this company whatsoever,’ he said.
‘My sister is the office manager for the parent company, but they operate shops and are not in the cannabis industry.’
He said that was the only relevant familial interest of which he was aware and insisted that it had no bearing on his requete.
He also thought the claims he was facing were ironic given that the development of a cannabis regime regulated by government could put the company out of business.
The email sent to all deputies, one of whom then asked P&R to become involved, also alleged that following his election to Home Affairs Deputy Leadbeater received equipment which could have been used in the cannabis industry and then sold it for thousands of pounds.
‘Someone has gone through my Facebook feed, seen things I have been selling and put two and two together and come up with 36,’ he said.
‘I sold a truck, a forklift and loads of tools. I had been carrying around all these carpentry tools and stuff for the last nine years. When I was successful in the recent election, I thought I’m probably not going to be using a lot of them any more and I could do with the cash, so I sold the stuff.’
Earlier in the podcast interview, Deputy Leadbeater had claimed that an unnamed individual was behind an orchestrated campaign to oust him as Home Affairs president, and he believed the conflict of interest accusations were linked to that.
He said he expected such allegations and thought they would have surfaced whether he was leading the requete, had signed it or merely voted for it in the Assembly.
‘It’s just another way to attack me – it’s as simple as that,’ he said.
Deputy Leadbeater said there was now an overwhelming case to reform the island’s cannabis laws and that the States could not allow problems with the current arrangements to persist.
‘The medicinal cannabis access regime is where the problem started because suddenly we have got an island flooded with cannabis. We’ve got far more cannabis circulating within the island than ever before, but we have no regulation.
‘We know there’s a big issue with people diverting their prescriptions. We know we still have cannabis coming over the borders. We have to do something about it because why should we be happy that cannabis gets diverted onto the streets and into the hands of children?’