The shadow minister for home affairs, Jason Azzopardi, said this morning that there was a 'whiff of corruption' over the way how the government had paid €4.2 million to take back the property used as Cafe Premier in Valletta, which it actually owned.

The property was given on emphyteusis to Cities Entertainment Ltd. In December 2012 the previous government had launched proceedings in court to collect arrears in the payment of ground rent.

Just three months after the general election the court cases were dropped and the property was then re-acquired by the government after it paid a total of €4.2 million.

Nationalist MP Ryan Callus said through the €4.2 million, the present government had waived €307,000 due in groundrent arrears, €504,000 due in capital gains tax, €193,000 in tax and social security payment arrears, €227,000 arrears of VAT, €131,000 in water and electricity bills, €2.56 million to pay off an outstanding loan with Banif Bank, €3,265 owned to Golden Harvest and what Mr Callus described as the cherry on the cake, €210,000 in commission of one of the two directors of Cities Entertainment, Mario Camilleri.

Another director, Neville Curmi, had told a police during investigations that the €210,000 payoff to Mario Camilleri were not owed to him by the company but were commissions paid to him for reaching the deal, Mr Callus said.

The police had said after their investigation that no violation of the criminal code was found.

Dr Azzopardi said this was 'a government of sleaze'.

The Opposition last week asked the Auditor General to investigate but, Dr Azzopardi said the Opposition was asking why the police did not investigate the €210,000 commission paid to Mr Camilleri.

Dr Azzopardi said no complaint could be filed before the Permanent Commission against Corruption since the present government had not constituted it.

In a statement last week, the government had said it had sought to re-acquire the Cafe' Premier premises in order  not to have establishments which could endanger priceless documents of historical value housed in the Bibliotheca, which is located in the upper floors of the same building. 

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