The former manager of a home heating oil company has been fined €30,000 and given a suspended two-year sentence for being one of the main players in a cartel which fixed the price of home heating oil in Co Galway more than 10 years ago.
Pat Hegarty (40), Coole, Gort, Co Galway, had denied two charges of agreeing with other distributors, while manager of Fate Park Ltd, trading as Sweeney Oil/Rabbitte Oil, Galway, the prevention, restriction or distortion of competition in the gas, oil and kerosene trade by directly or indirectly fixing the selling price of both home heating oils, between January 1st, 2001, and February 11th, 2002.
Joe Mulcair, a truck driver who is now employed by Tex Oil, gave evidence during the three-day trial at Galway Circuit Criminal Court that while he was formerly employed by another home heating oil company 10 years ago, he attended several meetings on behalf of his former boss, the sole purpose of which was to fix the price of home heating oil.
The meetings were arranged, he said, by the Connacht Oil Promotion Federation, which comprised a group of oil distributors.
“There wouldn’t have been any meetings but for the price-fixing. That is what it was all about,” Mr Mulcair told the jury.
David McFadden, solicitor for the Competition Authority, which took the case, said there had been 24 prosecutions since the cartel came to light in 2001 and 18 convictions since. This, he added, was the last case.