The director of a Galway-based oil firm has admitted at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to his and the company's involvement in a west of Ireland oil price fixing scam.
Eugene Dalton Snr, of Kilbeg, Claremorris, County Mayo, a director of Corrib Oil Company Ltd pleaded guilty on his own and the company's behalf to breaching section 3 of the competition act to fixing the price of kerosene in Galway on dates between January 1st, 2001 and February 11th, 2002.
Mr Dalton and Corrib Oil admitted entering into an agreement within the meaning of section 3 of the Competition Act 1991 which had as its object the restriction or distortion of competition in the trade of kerosene and gas oil by directly or indirectly fixing of the selling price.
Judge Donagh McDonagh adjourned sentencing to a date next January when the evidence will be heard.
The case had been due to go to trial tomorrow. It arises out of the first-ever prosecution by the State, through the Competition Authority, of individuals and oil companies for the alleged operation of a cartel in relation to fixing the price of gas oil and kerosene in Galway, Mayo and Roscommon.
Galway Circuit Criminal Court was told previously that books of evidence containing over 2000 pages, which include statements from over 60 witnesses, had been served in 11 different District Court areas on various accused in the case.
Last March, J P Lambe (69), of Brookhill, Claremorris a retired businessman and chairman of the Connacht Oil Promotion Federation, was given a six month suspended sentence and ordered to pay a €15,000 fine by Judge Katherine Delahunt at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court for his role in the crime.
Lambe, the former treasurer of Mayo GAA County Board and Mayo representative of the Central GAA Council, pleaded guilty to two counts of aiding and abetting Corrib Oil in the price-fixing.
Judge Delahunt was told that as a result of the cartel's price fixing the cost to the public was possibly € 4.4 million per year and prices were perhaps 10 per cent higher than they would otherwise have been.
She said that Lambe had participated fully in it and that "without his talent, acumen and knowledge, this kind of distortion could probably not have functioned at any significant level".