HVAR" HVAR, Jan 27 (Hina) - Hvar Mayor Zoran Domancic on Monday said that he was "deeply convinced that the government has been misled and that it has made a decision on the sale of the Suncani Hvar hotel chain to Slovenia's Terme
Catez on the basis of incomplete data."
HVAR, Jan 27 (Hina) - Hvar Mayor Zoran Domancic on Monday said that
he was "deeply convinced that the government has been misled and
that it has made a decision on the sale of the Suncani Hvar hotel
chain to Slovenia's Terme Catez on the basis of incomplete data."
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During Monday's session of the town council, the mayor accused
Croatian Tourism Minister Pave Zupan Ruskovic of deluding local
councillors and also the Croatian public when claiming that the bid
of the "Terme Catez" was the most favourable.
At its extraordinary session, the town council demanded that the
government should revoke its decision on the sale of shares of the
Suncani Hvar hotel chain to the Slovene company and re-start the
entire privatisation process.
Hvar councillors also insisted on a session of the Croatian
Privatisation Fund's (HFP) Supervisory Board which should review
whether the Fund's managing board made a legal decision pertaining
Suncani Hvar. They also demand that Minister Ruskovic-Zupan and the
Fund's vice chairman, Kresimir Starcevic, resign as they
"tendentiously presented the bid in favour of Terme Catez",
according to the conclusions which the council unanimously made.
The council explained its assertion saying that Terme Catez had
offered an investment worth 45 million euros (in Suncani Hvar) to be
made in a five-year period, while another Slovene company "Kompas"
offered EUR62.6 million.
According to the council, the offer of Terme Catez to invest 70
million euros in the coming 10 years is an empty word, given that the
company has not explained this in its bid.
Terme Catez is planning to invest in marinas, but the councillors
warn that marinas cannot be the matter of the invitation for bids
for the privatisation of Suncani Hvar which is a hotel chain. This
is the reason for the local authorities to consider the bid of Terme
Catez as incomplete.
The town council added that Kompas wrote that it would invest ten
million euros each year into hotels and that it would inject fresh
capital of 12.6 million euros in Suncani Hvar.
For the local authorities the insurance of investments by Terme
Catez is dubious.
Local aldermen believe that Terme Catez is intending to ensure,
through the purchase, the concession in two marinas (on the island)
which are not at all in the ownership of Suncani Hvar.
The conclusions, made at the session at which a larger number of
citizens were present, were sent to the government.
(hina) ms