THE Irish state has hired one of Britain’s top barristers to lead the case against Apple, in the controversial investigation into the company’s tax arrangements in Ireland.
Philip Baker QC was confirmed as the barrister spearheading the case this week by the Department of Finance.
Both Ireland and Apple came under fire when allegations emerged about tax evasion by the electronics company on Irish shores.
It is alleged that €850 million in taxes were avoided by the company between 2004 and 2008 alone.
The Irish Government is preparing to bring the case against Apple to the European Court of Justice, if accusations are proven true.
It is now being examined to see if the tax rules put the company at an unfair advantage in the Irish market over its competitors.
Mr Baker is a barrister that specialises in taking corporation tax cases to the European Court of Justice.
“Ireland has already submitted a detailed response to the commission and we are confident that we have a very strong case that no illegal state aid has been granted,” a Government spokesperson said.
