THE chairman of the Dáil Public Accounts Committee (PAC), Bernard Allen, has revealed the long-running legal action concerning the National Aquatic Centre is to be investigated.

THE Department of Sport has finally admitted defeat in a seven-year legal battle to claim €10.5 million worth of VAT from the former operators of the National Aquatic Centre.

THE cost of building the more than €70 million National Aquatic Centre was underestimated by €10m because the state agency responsible wrongly believed the Revenue Commissioners would return VAT payments.

TAXPAYERS have been landed with a multimillion euro legal bill after a state agency ignored the advice of the Attorney General and subsequently lost its Supreme Court case.

Vital information about the consortium awarded the contract to build the €63m National Aquatic centre which would have resulted in its exclusion from the tendering process was withheld from the Taoiseach and members of the Government, the High Court heard today.

CONTROVERSY surrounding the operation of the National Aquatic Centre continued yesterday as the High Court ruled that possession of the building be returned to State company Campus and Stadium Ireland Development Ltd (CSID).

AN agreement of April 30, 2003, appeared to contemplate all pool receipts from the €62 million National Aquatic Centre (NAC) were to be paid into an account in the sole name of Limerickman Pat Mulcair.

A CONSTRUCTION firm involved in the design and construction of the leaky €62 million National Aquatic Centre in Dublin was yesterday refused entry to the facility.

The Comptroller and Auditor General is reportedly planning to investigate recent controversies at the €62m National Aquatic Centre and the amount of money they have cost Irish taxpayers.

The National Aquatic Centre - built two years ago at a cost of €62m to the Irish taxpayer - is reportedly leaking millions of litres of water through massive cracks in its floor.

THE firm behind Dublin Waterworld Ltd sustained nearly €3 million in losses due to delays in repairing the storm-damaged National Aquatic Centre.