The tax authority had been substituted in as the petitioner over Riga Kondrate, a former chef de parties at the hotel. Ms Kondrate petitioned the High Court in March to have the hotel company wound up on the basis that it had closed before Christmas without reopening, leaving staff unpaid for a period of three months. However, the court heard that the company had subsequently paid Ms Kondrate’s debt.
In his report, Mr DeLacy said that it was clear from his visit to the hotel that it had been “abandoned at short notice” and its water and electricity shut off. He arranged for the locks to be changed and the windows boarded up and put a temporary insurance policy in place for the property.