Ireland: The Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (CCPC) has appealed against a High Court judgment preventing the CCPC from accessing or reviewing certain electronic documents seized by the CCPC during a search conducted in May 2015.
The High Court judgment arose from a court action taken by CRH against the CCPC following the seizure of hard copy and electronic documents by the CCPC during an unannounced search at the premises of CRH’s subsidiary, Irish Cement, on 14 May 2015. The search related to an investigation by the CCPC into alleged anti-competitive conduct in the bagged cement sector. The orders made by the High Court prevent the CCPC from accessing or reviewing material in the mailbox of Seamus Lynch, a director of Irish Cement, unless the CCPC and CRH agree to appoint an independent third party to ‘sift’ the seized documents for material relevant to the investigation.
The CCPC’s investigation into alleged anti-competitive practices by Irish Cement in the supply of bagged cement continues.