QCOSTARICA – The Comptroller General’s Office (Contraloría General de la República – CGR) has denied the government permission to buy the Tobogan Corporate Centre, located in Barrio Tournon, on the north side of San José.
Last week, the Ministry of Finance (Ministerio de Hacienda) announced its intentions the corporate centre for the amount of US$121 million dollars, to move its more than 2.000 into one location, a move that would over time save the government money on rental payments.
The Comptroller says it based its decision on that Hacienda did not incorporate the purchase in its 2015 budget and failed to publicly make available the market analysis of similar buildings to the Tobogan property.
Helio Fallas, the minister of Fianance, says the purchase is justified, breaking the cycle of renting buildings by the State. Hacienda spends US$12 million dollars a year for the rental of 12 buildings in downtown San José.
“The property you are considering buying is subject to a lien and annotations on title, and the purchase of property by public institutions must be free of encumbrances,” explained the Comptroller.