POLICE CALLED IN OVER SENEDD ‘BUGS’ ROW
POLICE yesterday launched an investigation into the secret recording of confidential conversations between the Assembly standards commissioner Sir Roderick Evans and his staff.
Independent AM Neil McEvoy has released details of the private conversations he had recorded after which Sir Roderick resigned in protest.
The former Plaid AM said he recorded his own interviews with the Standards Commissioner, relating to three separate complaints the AM is facing, and left the covert device recording when he left the room.
The National Assembly for Wales has now launched a search for listening devices and has called in the police over the recordings, which captured Sir Roderick’s private deliberations with his staff.
Mr McEvoy claims the recordings show Sir Roderick being “biased” and presiding over a “locker room culture” but the former High Court judge says the clips “have been taken out of context and are misleading”.
One of the complaints that the commissioner was investigating relates to the veracity of quotes for £5,000 of building work done on Mr McEvoy’s office. Mr McEvoy says the complaint is “fantasy and conspiracy”.
Mr McEvoy said he started recording the commissioner after requesting the official audio recording of an interview between him and the commissioner in November 2018.
The tape mistakenly included a conversation involving the commissioner, his staff and the complainant when Mr McEvoy was not in the room.
During this, Sir Roderick referred to Mr McEvoy as someone with “sociopathic tendencies”. Everyone present laughed.
Mr McEvoy said this led to “a complete breakdown of trust” on his part regarding the Standards Commissioner’s ability and desire to conduct a fair investigation.
As a result, Mr McEvoy began recording later hearings on his mobile phone, which remained active while he was out of the room.
He claims the recordings made while he was out of the room had shocked him, convincing him that it was in the public interest that their contents should be made public.
In relation to Mr McEvoy, the commissioner makes several statements which the AM argues show a lack of respect, a bias against him and a presumption of guilt.
In the case of Mr McEvoy, Sir Roderick commented in front of a person complaining about the AM that he had “sociopathic tendencies”.
Speaking to his staff member, the commissioner said: “God! Old McEvoy doesn’t stop does he?”
In a different recording the Standards Commissioner states: “I think he’s an unpleasant fellow, isn’t he? He is really unpleasant.”
His staff member responds: “He seems to be behaving in a way that he knows the gig is up. You know, he’s got all of these reports piling up. You know, he’s wholly unpleasant.”
Later in the recording the commissioner says: “That just has a smell of McEvoy about it. That’s how he operates.”
Sir Roderick goes on to state: “I think Neil McEvoy and charm offensive don’t sit easily in one sentence, do they?”
His staff member responds: “Imagine how uncomfortable that would be! Like a crocodile smiling at you! You’d be like... urghhh.”
In further comments about Mr McEvoy, in another recording, one of Sir Roderick’s team states: “We know that he’s not the most trustworthy of people ...”
At a press conference yesterday, Mr McEvoy said: “There were some appalling things said about me on the official recordings. It seemed to me they were all in it together to destroy my political career.”
Assembly Speaker Elin Jones said the recordings are a serious breach of trust.
She said: “I don’t intend to comment on these matters here today.
“However, I want to make it clear that the covert recordings of private conversations on the Assembly estate is a serious breach of trust.
“I understand that sound recordings were made that included confidential evidence by a witness during a formal investigation into the conduct of an Assembly Member.
“It’s particularly egregious that the recording was done by the AM under investigation.”
The Assembly has asked South Wales Police to investigate.
A spokesperson for the force said: “South Wales Police has commenced an investigation following a referral from the National Assembly for Wales concerning allegations of covert recordings being made within Welsh Government premises.”
In his resignation statement, Sir Roderick Evans said: “It has come to my attention that conversations with my staff about a variety of highly confidential and sensitive matters have been secretly, and possibly illegally, recorded over a period of what seems to be several months and in what seems to be a number of different locations by an Assembly Member.
“These have included highly confidential conversations with my staff including references to cases brought by members of the public.
“When considering and investigating complaints it is necessary for me and my staff to have open and frank discussions about the complaints, the appropriate approach to them, and their implications.
“Much of what has been shared with the media has been taken out of context and is misleading.
That a Member of our National Assembly could behave in this way is wholly unacceptable. It undermines the integrity of the complaints procedure and brings our democratic process into disrepute.
“I’m not prepared to continue in my role as Standards Commissioner. I thank my staff for their support during the last three years, but I therefore ask you to accept my resignation.”