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Deputy Chris Le Tissier's social media behaviour - which saw him troll colleagues and criticise people for being 'non-local' under a pseudonym - will be formally investigated.
Two code of conduct complaints - one a self-referral by the Guernsey Party member - have been received by the Chairman of the States Members’ Conduct Panel. Express understands that several more are in the works, but are yet to be submitted.
The Home Affairs Committee Member has been locked out of board meetings while an investigation takes place into a string of controversial tweets.
Using the Twitter handle @Radiosutch299, the first-time deputy told prominent historian Dr Gilly Carr to "leave Guernsey alone" because she is "non local", while also criticising Deputy Gavin St Pier with the same retort.
Deputy Le Tissier has also been caught repeatedly commenting on States business - since his election - under the guise of a concerned member of the public "listening while working from home".
Pictured: Deputy Le Tissier apologised on Thursday for any "upset" caused by his tweets under the alias 'The Pirate', but insisted that he had not "trolled" anyone.
Home Affairs - which has responsibility for matters including population management - called a meeting yesterday to discuss the situation.
The meeting followed an investigation by Express into the Deputy's social media behaviour, unearthing links between a YouTube account 'Radio Sutch' - which was visibly Deputy Le Tissier - and the Twitter account, which most recently went under the username 'The Pirate', before it was deleted.
Deputy Le Tissier admitted that the account belonged to him following the publication of these stories. He had originally declined to comment when the allegations were put to him, while his political party has attempted to distance itself from Deputy Le Tissier's social media posts.
Home Committee President Rob Prow and Members Marc Leadbeater, Andrew Taylor and Simon Vermeulen - himself a Guernsey Party member - were unanimous in the view that the matters raised should be independently scrutinised "so that they might be brought to an appropriate resolution."
“Integrity is at the very heart of the Committee for Home Affairs and we expect the highest standards of political members and officers alike," said Deputy Prow.
Pictured: Deputy Prow said that, for the sake of rebuilding public trust, Deputy Le Tissier's actions must be investigated independently.
"As elected officials we must lead by example and our conduct and behaviour should be nothing but exemplary.
"Following the Committee’s meeting, I have met with Deputy Le Tissier and I am reassured that he has reached the decision to self-refer to the Code of Conduct Panel. As a Committee we support this approach as being essential to rebuilding public confidence and trust.”
"Until such a time as the Panel’s deliberations have concluded, with the agreement of Deputy Le Tissier, it has been decided that he will not be participating in Committee meetings."
Deputy Le Tissier is also a member of the Development & Planning Authority and the Transport Licensing Authority. There is no word yet from the TLA, however D&PA President Victoria Oliver announced this afternoon that her committee had reached a similar conclusion to Home Affairs.
“As a Committee we expect all our political Members and operational officers to conduct themselves in an appropriate manner and to act with integrity at all times. This is essential for us to maintain public confidence, trust and to deliver the services which will benefit our community.
“For this reason we have taken the decision to ask Deputy Le Tissier to self-refer to the Code of Conduct Panel, which we have been assured he has now done, and to recuse himself from all D&PA meetings in the interim.”
Pictured: Deputy Chris Le Tissier admitted that the Twitter account belonged to him in a statement sent out to the media on Thursday afternoon.
There are three stages to the complaints process, with the maximum punishment expulsion from the States of Guernsey. The first stage focusses on whether the complaint has any substance. If the independent panel concludes that it does not, the States member is acquitted and the complaint dismissed.
The States Members' Code of Conduct states that: "Members shall at all times conduct themselves in a manner which will tend to maintain and strengthen the public’s trust and confidence in the integrity of the States of Deliberation and never undertake any action which would bring the States, or its Members generally, into disrepute."
It also states that: "Members shall at all times treat other Members, civil servants and members of the public with respect and courtesy and without malice, notwithstanding the disagreements on issues and policy which are a normal part of the political process."
Those two sections of the code appear to have been breached.
Should the complaint/complaints be substantiated, the panel will then decide on what it sees as the most appropriate form of censure.
The options range in severity from a caution, to outright expulsion from the States of Guernsey.
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