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UK: CMA executive puts friendship on hold over Fox/Sky Deal

By  |  September 21, 2017

The Competition and Markets Authority’s (CMA) chief executive, Andrea Coscelli, has said that he will, “take the prudent step of ceasing social interaction” with Antonio Bavasso due to the fact that the latter is an antitrust partner at the firm representing 21st Century Fox, Allen & Overy.

After Fox’s proposed takeover of Sky was officially passed over to the CMA, the regulator revealed the connection between the two men. Although the CMA insists that Mr. Coscelli’s personal connections have no bearings on any decisions made by the regulator, “The CMA is concerned to avoid any perception of bias arising in relation to its assessment of this case.”

In addition to a six-month pause the friendship, the CMA revealed that Mr Coscelli will face restrictions on his access to internal information about the investigation.

Full Content: Telegraph

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