Police paid a visit to the Hamiltonian Hotel and Island club yesterday as part of an "ongoing investigation".

The specific reason for the activity is not known, however the establishment has been subject to legal and financial woes going back decades and was last year said to owe Government $1.14m.

Auditor General Larry Dennis, as recently as 2006, put the business at the top of his 'name and shame' list of the most delinquent taxpayers.

The Police visit comes after years of alleged non payments of social insurance or pension contributions. Currently the company rents out apartments on the property.

Former operator of the hotel, American Harold Stavisky, died in 2004 after being declared bankrupt in Bermuda.

Since then, a legal battle has ensued between his wife and his estate against the current management group that presently runs operations.

According to former lawyer Julian Hall, acting as spokesperson and consultant for the Stavisky estate, widow Helen Stavisky has been trying for years to claim ownership of the property, which has been closed for some time now.

Just before 11 a.m. yesterday, The Royal Gazette received a tip that there was Police activity at the property.

Three detectives showed up at the property's main office and for more than an hour appeared to question the manager and search the office. However no one was arrested.

When contacted, a woman who answered the phone at the Hamiltonian office, believed to be a manager who was questioned, stated: "I'm sorry we've got no comment at this time, thank you for calling."

A Police spokesperson would only say that the activities there were the matter of "an ongoing investigation" and declined to give further details.

Mr. Hall explained: "Harold Stavisky was the owner and developer of the property's operations as well as its apartments and time-share programme. However he died four years ago this December.

"He was actually placed into bankruptcy in Bermuda. But his widow has always maintained that his estate has the right to ownership of the property and I am acting as a consultant to the Stavisky family, under my operation JH Consultants.

"Members of Mr. Stavisky's estate have been prevented all these years from running the operation and have been actively pursuing the rights of their estate, including having made a complaint through the offices of US Senator Edward Kennedy and through the US Consul-General's office who have launched a detailed investigation."

Mrs. Stavisky is understood to be a US citizen living in the United States, where her husband was originally from.

Mr. Hall said he was unaware of yesterday's Police activity at the property or what it was all about.

But he repeated concerns about alleged unpaid pension and social insurance contributions, adding: "This has been of very serious concern by not just the Government, but apparently also to the Stavisky family.

"At the end of the day the Stavisky estate simply wants to settle the company's debt to the Government and assume their rightful position as owners of the property.

"I don't know who is being questioned and for what reason... the place has been run a bit like a ghost ship by a management group that claims to have a right to run the property but has no legal right that we can find."

A 2003/2004 Auditor General's report revealed that the Hamiltonian was $918,667 in arrears on pension contributions and former BIU president Derrick Burgess claimed the property hadn't made any social insurance contributions in 20 years.

Last year, the company's debts to Government was estimated to be around $1.14 million.

Auditor General Larry Dennis, in 2006, described the Hamiltonian Hotel and Island Club as "an atrocious corporate citizen" after the Pembroke establishment again topped his "name and shame" list of the most delinquent taxpayers.

When Mr. Dennis first appended the list of companies owing the most in payroll tax and pensions contributions to his annual report on Government finances in 2000, the Hamiltonian was at number one.

According to figures as of March 2006, the Hamiltonian owed $561,854 in payroll taxes, $346,408 in land taxes and $232,357 in pension contributions.

A list of the company's shareholders include the names of businessman Fernance B. Perry as well as Kim White. None could be contacted for a comment last night.