The suspended chief executive of the Irish internet domain registry, Mr Mike Fagan, will face a disciplinary hearing later this week that could finally decide his future with the company.

IE Domain Registry Limited (IEDR), the firm that operates the Republic's .ie internet domain name system, has requested the hearing 13 months after suspending Mr Fagan.

Mr Fagan was suspended on full pay in October 2002 by the domain registry, which subsequently commissioned a report from KPMG to scrutinise management of the company.

Mr Fagan said yesterday he had received notification from the IEDR of the hearing, which is due to take place tomorrow and Friday.

He said his team was contesting the proposed venue for the hearing, Arthur Cox Solicitors in Dublin, as it was not a neutral venue. Arthur Cox acts for IEDR.

Mr Fagan said he might seek damages from the company if he is removed from his position.

Last month, IEDR replaced its auditor, BCW, with the Dublin-based chartered accountancy firm Duignan Carthy O'Neill.

The registry has not yet filed its financial accounts with the Companies Registration Office and could now face a late filing penalty from the registrar.

The IEDR would not comment on the issue yesterday.

The continuing uncertainty surrounding management of the Republic's national internet domain name registry has caused considerable alarm at Government level.