Ireland has claimed a number of firsts in the criminal enforcement of competition law this year. In March, an Irish court became the first in the European Union (EU) to impose a prison sentence for cartel activity and, more recently, County Cork became the location of the first arrest for cartel activity in the EU.
These cases are significant as Ireland is one of the few EU member states to have adopted criminal penalties for breaches of competition law. Despite evidence that criminal sanctions provide a more effective deterrent to cartel activity, administrative or civil penalties are still preferred in Europe as the perception remains that it is difficult to obtain criminal convictions in relation to cartel activity. For this reason, the recent prosecutions and convictions in Ireland are attracting much interest.
This content has been archived. It is available through our partners, LexisNexis® and Bloomberg Law.
To view this content, please continue to their sites.
Not a Lexis Subscriber?
Subscribe Now
Not a Bloomberg Law Subscriber?
Subscribe Now
LexisNexis® and Bloomberg Law are third party online distributors of the broad collection of current and archived versions of ALM's legal news publications. LexisNexis® and Bloomberg Law customers are able to access and use ALM's content, including content from the National Law Journal, The American Lawyer, Legaltech News, The New York Law Journal, and Corporate Counsel, as well as other sources of legal information.
For questions call 1-877-256-2472 or contact us at [email protected]