Sports minister Sylvan Richards and his permanent secretary Wayne Carey spent almost $5,500 on empty Rio de Janeiro hotel rooms during their trip to the Olympic Games.

The pair visited Brazil to officially support Bermuda’s competing athletes at the international sporting event, which ran from August 5 to 21.

However, they drew sharp public criticism when it was revealed that the trip cost more than $30,000 of taxpayer’s money. Now The Royal Gazette has received records breaking down the men’s expenditures, after sending a Public Access to Information request to the Bermuda Government.

One document showed that Mr Richards and Mr Carey requested reimbursement for stays in separate four-star hotels from August 4 to 22, despite arriving in Rio de Janeiro on the morning of August 5 and flying back to Bermuda on the evening of August 14.

Mr Richards booked a standard double room at the Royal Regency Hotel at a cost of $348 per night, totalling $6,264.

Mr Carey had a standard double room at the Solar do Amanhecer Hotel at a cost of $254 per night, totalling $4,572.

The combined spend on hotels was US$10,836, which was converted to $10,991 in Bermudian currency and sent to Government.

Eighteen of the 36 nights booked at the two hotels went unused, at a cost of $5,495.50 to the taxpayer.

Details of the pair’s visit were posted on the One Bermuda Alliance’s expenses website last month, prompting angry claims of profligacy from the public due to its $31,566 cost.

This comprised $20,290 on business-class flights, the aforementioned $10,991 on accommodation, $130 on ground transportation, $105 on meals and $50 on miscellaneous expenses.

Public indignation intensified after this newspaper revealed that former sports minister Patricia Gordon-Pamplin had also attended the Olympic Games — spending $6,312.09, which was not listed on the OBA expenses website.

Michael Dunkley, the Premier, conceded that the outcry was “well-founded”, but defended his party’s overall travel budget and highlighted its efforts to improve transparency on spending.

When contacted about the discrepancy between the hotel dates and the flight dates, a Government spokeswoman said: “Official hotel rooms were only available on a block basis for the entire Olympics.”

The Royal Gazette then contacted the Royal Regency Hotel and the Solar do Amanhecer Hotel in Rio de Janeiro.

Staff at both establishments denied that they had only allowed block bookings during the Olympic Games, adding that they always accepted bookings of any duration.