Galway Bay fm newsroom - It's been revealed that the €850 million Apple data centre planned for Athenry was the subject of a probe by the EU's competition watchdog.
It followed a complaint that the deal reached over the purchase of the land from state body Coillte breached state aid rules.
According to the Sunday Business Post, the 2015 deal involved a back-to-back transaction involving the IDA which was previously not disclosed by any side.
It's stated Apple identified the almost 200 acre site and was keen to keep its interest in the land owned by state agency Coillte under wraps.
The IDA was subsequently brought into the transaction and a deal was agreed on the purchase of the site for an amount believed to be between 10 to 15 million euro.
It's understood a third party made a complaint to the European Competition Commission about the arrangement, believing it breached state aid rules.
However, the EU body says after assessing the case, it finds no reason to pursue the matter under EU state aid rules.
The proposed 850 million euro data centre received the green light last year, but is currently the subject of a High Court judicial review.
