Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees
Tuesday, 22 November 2016
Public Accounts Committee
Special Report No. 94 of the Comptroller and Auditor General: National Asset Management Agency Sale of Project Eagle (Resumed)
10:00 am
Catherine Connolly (Galway West, Independent)
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Mr. Long could have come back and said it does not capture. There is no mention of criteria or ability to buy. Lazard has given an assurance that it is going to be limited. In fact, at some other stage, there is a reference to "priority", which I have underlined. If we look at firm F on the same page:
Lazard separately emailed ... setting out its conversation with another firm that was refused entry ... [I told him] it was closed to new entrants [on 27 February].
Frustration is expressed by the potential bidder "given their track record ... and their relationship with ... NAMA". The email continues:
I didn’t say this to him but I recall discussing [Firm F] with you ... at the outset {This is Mr. Long's firm} but concluding that there were other firms who deserved priority. He said he would call his contacts at NAMA to express his unhappiness.
Limited time has been set by NAMA and Lazard is following that. There are limited restrictions and limited bidders. Lazard has set it out clearly.