Oil price fixing case to make legal history

The Competition Authority’s investigation into alleged price-fixing of home heating oil sees the first criminal trial being held at the Galway Circuit Criminal Court today.

Flanagan Oil, Con Muldoon and Muldoon Oil faces charges of price fixing in breach of competition legislation and if convicted they could face up to two years in jail.
The Competition Authority held a search of premises all over Galway and Mayo in 2002 and found that a number of premises were allegedly price fixing.

Twenty four defendants have been found guilty in the West and court cases will be brought against them all. The case in Galway is the first criminal prosecution by a European law enforcement agency for alleged price fixing offences.