The High Court has continued interim injunctions restraining the dismissal of two senior executives with Hibernia Foods plc. The injunctions were granted on Thursday last to chairman and chief executive Mr Oliver Murphy and group finance director Mr Colm Delves. They restrain the company from taking any further steps to implement its purported decision of October 17th to dismiss them.

Ms Justice Carroll was told yesterday that, over the weekend, a receiver had apparently been appointed, by a US company, to the company in the UK. It was not clear as to the extent to which directors now had power to act or whether the situation had been overtaken by the appointment of a receiver, the judge was told.

The sides agreed to putting back to Monday next an application to continue the interim injunctions pending the outcome of legal proceedings.