Charlie Parker did work on NewRiver role during government time

A Freedom of Information request submitted soon after the story broke has unearthed a series of emails between Charlie Parker and NewRiver. Credit: ITV Channel TV

I can reveal the Chief Executive of the Government of Jersey DID work on his second role as a non-executive director during hours he was paid to be the island’s top civil servant.

A Freedom of Information request I submitted soon after the story broke, but only now responded to by government, has unearthed a series of emails between Charlie Parker and NewRiver - a role which led to him being forced to resign from government in November.

Before the announcement of his departure, it was claimed Mr Parker would only devote time to the £50,000 a year additional post away from his full time job, but the dossier of paperwork reveals that not to be the case.

Emails sent between Mr Parker’s email account and New River, a UK trust which owns a portfolio of property, show exchanges going back as far as June, with his PA – at one point – answering on his behalf to block out four dates in his diary “to give Charlie some background to NewRiver."

The existence of the second role only emerged in October, and was initially presented as being approved by both the Chief Minister and Deputy Chief Minister.

The statement, issued by the government’s Communications Unit, had wrongly stated Senator Lyndon Farnham had supported Mr Parker’s non-executive directorship. Only Senator John Le Fondré had done so.

The same statement also falsely stated NewRiver had no interest in Jersey.

It set up a trust for its employees in the island.

A subsequent statement altered that assertion to “no operational interest” and added Mr Parker would be donating his fee to charity. 

Parkergate timeline:

The email haul also reveals some of the internal machinations of government when the story broke.

At one point an assistant press officer presents a summary of the media reaction, writing: “I’ve put all the info in a table so it’s easier to read. It’s been broken down by date, reporter, questions, and how they have been dealt with.”

Another acknowledges information in the public domain in early November was at odds with what the government was saying.

They wrote: “I hope you can clarify what seems to be a discrepancy between what we were told last Thurs about Charlie Parker’s new NED role, and the description about directors’ commitments in NewRiver’s annual report published earlier this year.”

Mr Parker was initially given a verbal reprimand by the States Employment Board for failing to seek written permission to take on the non-executive directorship, but was allowed to keep his job.

Days later, as both public and political pressure grew, he was told to resign.

His resignation was announced on 9 November, though he remains in post pending the appointment of an interim CEO.