The Progressive Liberal Party has branded the forensic audit at the Water and Sewerage Corporation by accounting firm Ernst and Young as “half baked”.

In a statement from the party, the PLP stated that the report is replete with errors, misstatements and has violated the very basic tenets of natural justice, often repeating salacious, tendentious material and leaving half-baked and misleading innuendoes in the public domain, adding that it has also violated the right to privacy of many private citizens.

“The Ernst and Young report does not meet the basic professional standards and it is quite a shame that a professional firm would allow itself to be used like political hacks by an FNM administration desperate to find dirt where there is none. This is simply providing a pretext for the FNM’s lack of capacity and lack of ability to govern.

“We also have warning for Carl Culmer, the Chairman of the FNM, who seems to be a candidate for “lamb of the year to the political slaughter”. The fact that you are Chairman of the FNM does not make your comments immune from suits in defamation and libel. The latest release by Mr. Culmer makes assertions of fact about corruption about the Leader of the PLP which are not only false but are defamatory.  He sought to rely on the deficient Ernst and Young report to ground his facts, but he should be warned that the report is not worth the paper it is written on. The report itself though laid in the House does not have the protection against defamation laws.

“Neither the government or Ernst and Young can defend the use of salacious material which has no probative worth.  Ernst and Young nor the government can defend the exposure of the confidential business of private citizens into the public domain without giving any of those persons any opportunity to be heard and say what their version of the story is.

The PLP further stated that their lawyers are looking at this matter with a view to having the report be the subject of Judicial Review and struck out for want process and breaching the rules of natural justice, and that Ernst and Young itself should be warned that the legal consequences of the report will be substantial.