William Fry receives €2.6m in fees from Apple tax dispute since 2016

The State has paid €2.57 million to William Fry since 2016 for advising on its battle with the European Commission over the Apple tax ruling.

Finance Minister Paschal Donohoe provided TDs with a break-down of the State’s spending on legal fees related to the case this week.

William Fry received the greatest amount, followed by barrister Barry Doherty, who has received €359,465 since 2013.

Overall, the State has spent €4,528,916 on legal costs since 2013, including €512,503 in 2018 so far.

Mr Donohoe said: “Ireland has never accepted the Commission’s analysis in the Apple State aid Decision and is challenging the Commission’s decision before the European courts.

“Notwithstanding this, the Irish authorities have engaged fully with the Commission throughout the state aid investigation. This involved a significant degree of legal and technical complexity, and additional expertise has been engaged where required.

“Last week, I confirmed that the first payment, amounting to €1.5bn, has been deposited in the Escrow account. This is the first of a series of payments with the expectation that the remaining tranches will flow into the fund during Q2 and Q3 of 2018, as previously outlined.

“Over the past four years approximately €5.8 million (including VAT) has been paid in total, of which approximately €3 million relates to the recovery process. This includes all legal costs, consultancy fees and other associated costs. These fees have been paid by the Department of Finance, Revenue Commissioners, NTMA, Central Bank of Ireland, Attorney General’s Office and Chief State Solicitor’s Office.”

He added: “As this is an important issue for the State, the case will continue to be resourced as appropriate.”