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RYANAIR HAS DESCRIBED a probe into its minority stake in Aer Lingus as a waste of time and resources.
The UK’S Office of Fair Trading has resumed its investigation into Ryanair’s minority stake in its rival Aer Lingus, which began almost a year ago.
At the time, Ryanair appealed to Britain’s Competition Appeals Tribunal with regard to the OFT being out of time in launching the investigation.
In July, the OFT said it welcomed a judgement from the Competition Appeal Tribunal that it could review the acquisition while appeals were ongoing in the European courts.
This judgement meant the investigation could resume.
Yesterday, Ryanair’s Stephen McNamara said:
We are surprised that the OFT continues to waste time and resources on a failed merger offer between two non UK companies, some five years after the offer was withdrawn, and some four years after the EU Commission prohibited the original offer but confirmed that Ryanair had neither de jure nor de facto control over Aer Lingus.
This OFT investigation sets a damaging precedent for future UK mergers, as it appears that the OFT now intends to second guess and become involved in mergers up to 9 years after the transaction, only once all EU appeals have been completed. We believe that this investigation is out of time and we trust that the Court of Appeal will share our view and put an end to this unnecessary investigation.
The OFT said its aim was to review whether Ryanair’s stake in Aer Lingus damages competition.
The share of 29.82 per cent of Aer Lingus Group plc was completed in late 2006.
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What’s the difference between him and the other ministers? He got Caught…
@Dáithí O Raghailaigh:
Another nepotistic unqualified and corrupt Fine Gael back slapper. Grabbed his fathers vacant seat and boarded the gravy train.
But Leo said everything was fine…..
What was it about the multi millionaire Mr McCourt’s that made you want to meet him.Dennis
@Genius 80s+: big brown envelopes I’m guessing
Leo on the telly this morning stating he had full confidence in Naughten. Naughten in the Dail this afternoon stating on record that aleo told him last night to consider his position.
Whos telling the truth??
@The Risen: not leo
@Barry Harrington: Typo
The people should owned these essential services. but no. FG/FF have to sell everything to their buddies or vulture funds.
@Sean Conway: you do realise there is no infrastructure to sell, that’s the problem, if it existed we’d have rural broadband?
The tender is to build the infrastructure and then allow the builder to offset the cost by running it. Mustn’t be that lucrative a contract though if companies keep pulling out of the process
It makes a mockery of the tender process if ministers are having secret meetings with service providers .
@John Judd: The guardians of the state caught with their hands in the till again.
@Sean Conway:and its about time the gardai started charging these corrupt gombeens
Dennis and ministers again. Yet Dennis will still get the contract. Just more naked corruption.
Naughten is probably looking at a seat on the board.
Leo has never put the public interest first – it has always been his party and himself before the people.
What’s the difference between him and the other ministers? He got Caught…
I wonder what Noonan got away with?
Getting involved with FG is the same as getting mixed up with the Donald, you will always lose out.
Election time.
So after Storm Callum comes Storm Denis am I right
Crying laughing emoji.
WTF was he thinking? Maybe that he wouldn’t get caught.
@Mark Waldron: emmm,, what’s in it for me???
@Gordon Larney: For sure! That’s the politicians mantra isn’t it?
Fine Gael – what a party that party is. Corruption is rife within its ranks & it doesn’t start & finish with Durrrrty Denis. They are the true entitlement Ireland. Nepotistic – cronyism- old politics – new socks !
@Setrakian: it’s all those people on the dole fault eh Brinster. I’m just waiting for the deflection.
He was caught,the lot of them are dirty deceitful corrupt people.
@@mdmak33: and yet we vote them back in each time
Our political system is in a shambles and full of incompetent members
@Martin Brennan: corruption is not incompetence
Worst Dail ever.
Political incompetence will destroy FF and FG. The irony is that if they sorted it out long ago, there would now be no issue.
Surely in any business if there’s only one bidder left you’ll try your best to keep them onboard. Is this really a big deal or what am I missing
@Shaun Gallagher: Transparency is what you’re missing. It’s required by law when public funds are being awarded to private contractors.
@Shaun Gallagher: is it the case that they saw that the business was heading in another direction and decided to pull out resources from a costly tender process? .. and perhaps had some info on Naughton’s ‘preferred’ choice on the service provision. Maybe it was even one of the other companies that blew the whistle so to speak to put all this in motion.
In any case the main point here is that political corruption is still alive and well in this country. Call an election so that we can fulfill our democratic duty and keep pretending like our governmental organizations are fit for purpose.
Oh dear oh dear looks very crooked, lets see him try and wriggle out of this one.
And the old refrain is “I Did Nothing Wrong”
Whoaaa……wasn’t FG tagline for the previous general election was that they wanted to end sleeveen type behaviour, jobs for the boys , they wanted transparency…….jeeze aren’t they doing a sterling job….. if you like that kinda thing….. roll on the next scandal …
If that fanny fitz is given that Ministerial role, you can kiss the next election goodbye FG
@emer caffrey: Leo still doesn’t understand why she had to go…. It isn’t just a few bad apples, it’s the entire orchard that’s tainted
For a intelligent and experienced politician what was he thinking meeting with people in private and to just remember when the game was up.
His needs to go back and resit his FETAC corruption certification. I thought all politicians had to have this to sit in the Dail?
There should be more consequences for incompetency. Tonight there are two different versions of when Varadkar found out about 4 extra private dinners. Leo said he found out this morning. Naughton said he told Leo about them in his midnight call. Both of them cannot be telling the truth. One of them must be lying. And then you have the Charleton Tribunal saying that Martin Callinan was not truthful to it in his testimony. Surely he was under oath? Why can he sail into the sunset with his big pension after all this? No wonder people’s faith in mainstream politics is shattered.
He probally taught he was a bigger cute wh… than the rest of them and would get away with it
just who stinks the most F/G or F/F,
I had full confidence, but i have to consider the lower class reaction. Naughten was a huge success, but overconfident, he does not have my talents to be getting personally involved.. Those in the Dail thank him for his commitment, we hope no more politicians resign due to pressures from left wing or plebs.
Clear case of Lowryngitis, indefensible, only one cure, the axe.
Someone please find out why an EU state cannot secure any interest in the project from any of the broadband infrastructure providers in the EU, why our own ESB, Eir, & others pulled out?
Why also did not project slip away to have only a US speculative outfit fronting up a consortium of possibly undesirable background investors?
Is it possible that the drop outs got a bad smell & that something rotten kept other competent providers off the pitch?
There is a report in the archives somewhere that might help to unravel the issues.
He’s just come down with a case a Gonnerhea
A good man, hope he bounces back soon.
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