An Investigation of Government’s acquisition of the Café Premier

Abstract

On 19 August 2014, the Opposition Members on the Public Accounts Committee (PAC), together with the then Opposition Spokesperson for Home Affairs and National Security, submitted a request for an investigation to the National Audit Office (NAO). In essence, they requested the Auditor General (AG) to investigate disclosures in the media that Government had paid €4,200,000 for the reacquisition of the utile dominium of the Café Premier premises, which Government had conceded through an emphyteutical grant to Cities Entertainment Ltd (CE) in 1998. This document reports the investigation conducted in accordance with Para 9(a) of the First Schedule of the Auditor General and National Audit Office Act, 1997 (XVI of 1997) and in terms of practices adopted by the NAO.