Prime Minister Joseph Muscat today avoided replying to Opposition charges regarding his personal involvement in the Café Premier bailout.

The government said it was proactive and acted in the public interest in the way it handled the Cafè Premier ‘bailout.’

In a statement, the government said it was faced with two choices. It could have either taken the owners of Cafè Premier to court, resulting in a lengthy battle during which the prime site in Valletta would have fallen into a state of dilapidation. This option would have run the risk of the government not recuperating the funds it was owed.

The second option was to recuperate the funds owed to it and pay off the Cafè Premier owners for the remainder of the lease agreement.

 “This government has never been afraid to take the necessary decisions, and in the best interest of the Maltese population, it decided to reclaim the site and recuperate the funds owed to it. This decision was approved at Cabinet level,” the government said.

The Prime Minister had requested the police to investigate the alleged “commissions” paid out, and no wrongdoing was found.

“Not even the Auditor General found any wrongdoing. In his report, the Auditor General says the value of the property reflects market prices.”

The value was verified by three experts, including a technical consultant from the Auditor General’s office, who agreed that the amount paid by the government was fair, the government said.

“The suggestion by the Auditor General that procedural matters could have been dealt with better has been noted by the Office of the Prime Minister."

"Allegations by the Opposition that the Prime Minister had an agreement with the owners of Cafè Premier shows that the Nationalist Party still measures others by its own yardstick."

“The Cafè Premier contract is open to public scrutiny, and the government welcomes said scrutiny.”