Allied Irish Banks' plans to bolster its presence in the Polish banking market with the acquisition of the Polish government's 40 per cent stake in the Cracow-based Bank Przemyslowo-Handlowy (BPH) have been dashed, with the Swedish group SEB winning the auction for the stake, according to reports. The Polish government has refused to comment on the sale and AIB has consistently refused to say that it is even interested in BPH.