Senator Philip Ozouf has confirmed he was the Jersey politician whose expenses had been referred to the police.
The referral by former States of Jersey chief executive John Richardson was made after it emerged Senator Ozouf used his States purchase card on two occasions, totalling £450, for spending considered personal use.
The police investigated and Law Officers decided no charges should be brought.
Today in the States chamber, Senator Ozouf offered “an unqualified and sincere apology” for any breach of the Ministerial Code and Code of Conduct for States Members.
In addition to his apology he said: “Having lost my ministerial role due to expenses speculation, undergone criminal investigation, spent hundreds of hours assisting with the internal review and had months of unrelenting, damaging and frankly upsetting media speculation about this issue, I hope that I can now focus on serving the people of Jersey.”
We now know the two purchases in question were £362.76 for a personal flight, which Senator Ozouf says he made on his iPad by mistakenly selecting the wrong credit card. The other was £82.00 for a hotel at Gatwick ahead of meeting a VIP delegation visiting Jersey. He disputes that this was an incorrect use of his States purchase card but, like the flight, he has paid it back.
The expenses of politicians and civil servants in Jersey have been making headlines since it emerged £13,000 was spent by former Economic Development chief officer Mike King and former Locate Jersey chief Wayne Gallichan on business class flights to a mining conference in South Africa.
Since then, the States has pledged to be more transparent about the expenditure of staff and politicians, and States Members’ spending is published annually.
Senator Ozouf’s spending has been consistently among the highest during his tenure as Treasury minister and more recently as an Assistant Chief Minister before he was sacked from the post earlier this year.
A more detailed breakdown of Senator Ozouf’s spending is due to be made public imminently.
