A JERSEY charity was granted £35,000 of public money by a panel whose members include the charity’s manager.

The Bosdet Foundation, which runs Les Ormes Leisure Centre, was granted the money by the Tourism Development Fund at a meeting on 28 November.

The JEP has learned that Les Ormes manager Mike Graham sits on the panel of the fund, was present at the meeting and presented the application for the money.

Two other panel members, John King and Lawrence Huggler, then agreed to give the £35,000 to the charity as funding for the new adventure centre next to Creepy Valley.

Economic Development Minister Philip Ozouf, whose department is responsible for the fund, said that in retrospect Mr Graham should not have been present at the meeting.

He said that while the panel were right to grant to the money to Mr Graham, in future panel members will have to ‘physically remove themselves’ from meetings where their own applications, or applications in which they have an interest, are discussed.