The Economy Ministry has refused to publish the final report of the evaluation committee which decided to select Eden Leisure Group as the preferred bidder for a casino licence.
The ministry has also declined to name the members of the evaluation committee, which was set up by the Privatisation Unit.
Times of Malta asked the ministry to see the final report, the names of those who made the decision on behalf of the government and Economy Minister Chris Cardona’s reaction to claims by Dragonara Gaming that the process was vitiated and lacked transparency. The minister’s spokesman said: “This is not a matter of opinion. There is a legal process which will be respected.”
This is not a matter of opinion. There is a legal process
Following last week’s announcement that Eden Leisure had been identified as the preferred bidder, the company which placed second – Dragonara Gaming Ltd – took the issue to court accusing the government of conducting a vitiated process.
Dragonara Gaming, which is claiming that it’s one-off financial offer is €3 million higher than Eden Leisure’s, obtained a temporary injunction from the court which has halted the process.
The government said the financial value of Eden Leisure’s proposal “was substantially higher than that of the other proponents” and that the most important aspect was the total “financial value” and not the “financial offer”.
Eden Leisure Group – owned by the De Cesare family – this week filed a judicial protest in court stating that the government’s decision was correct and that its proposal was the most advantageous when considering its value on the whole 10-year concession period. Times of Malta is informed that the government had received five proposals for the licence it offered through an expression of interest published in July of last year: Dragonara Gaming Ltd; Corinthia Group; Polidano Group, which applied for a casino at Montekristo Estate; Eden Leisure and the Seabank Hotel.
According to the ministry, the decision was taken after a period of professional deliberation, taking into consideration the economic growth in terms of em-ployment levels, revenue to government and economic activity to the entertainment business in particular geographical regions in Malta.