Shane Sutherland was in the cabinet of then-commissioner Phil Hogan when top Uber figure suggested finding him ‘something amazing’
Irish-born whistleblower Mark MacGann pushed lobbyist Sebastian Vos to invite Shane Sutherland, a European Commission official who was a member of the cabinet of then-commission agriculture chief Phil Hogan, to join them at a lunch.Uber’s former top lobbyist for Europe joked about finding an “amazing” job for an Irish European Commission official at a time when the company was lobbying the institution for favourable policies, leaked files show.
The email reveals the casual attitude among some lobbyists towards the idea of offering lucrative positions to public officials, a sensitive issue for European institutions which have been hit by successive “revolving doors” scandals that raised conflict of interest concerns. Mr MacGann pushed Mr Vos to invite Irishman Shane Sutherland, a European Commission official who was a member of the cabinet of then-commission agriculture chief Phil Hogan at the time, to join them at the lunch.“Force Shane to grow a pair and join us. He will be looking for a job soon and you and I are the best-placed to help him find something amazing :)” Mr MacGann wrote to Mr Vos. “Do NOT repeat that. Not before the first bottle anyway.
Mr Sutherland told The Irish Times he did recall meeting the two men for lunch, but that it was “just a social lunch”, and he did not believe there was a need to register it on lobbying records.
Ireland Latest News, Ireland Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Coleen Nolan shares stunning snaps from her son Shane Jr's stylish summer wedding - VIP MagazineColeen Nolan is one proud parent as her son, Shane Jr, tied the knot with his partner Maddie Wahdan this weekend. The pair said “I do” in the historic Rushton Hall, a 16th century manor in England. Celebrating the happy couple’s big day, mother of the Groom, Coleen shared a sweet tribute to her son … Continued
Read more »
The Uber Files shine spotlight on Irish lobbying regulationNew The Uber Files: State’s official register points to intensive lobbying by US cab-hailing giant between 2014 and 2017 but does not show full extent of government contacts disclosed in private files
Read more »
Full Uber contacts with government not disclosed in lobbying returnsUS firm’s former lobbyist John Moran, former Department of Finance secretary general, says he fully disclosed Uber role but will correct returns if required
Read more »
Uber Files: ‘Unacceptable’ for lobbyist to suggest avoiding official channels by contacting minister at homeFormer minister and regulations introducer Brendan Howlin criticises Uber lobbyist John Moran’s notion company could avoid official records by dropping note into house of then minister for finance Michael Noonan
Read more »
Uber files: EU ombudsman Emily O’Reilly calls for ‘culture change at the top’Revelations about Uber a ‘masterclass’ in lobbying that suggests need for standard EU rules on revolving doors, Irish watchdog chief says
Read more »
Uber files: Lobbyist suggested finding job for Irish EU official over lunchShane Sutherland was in the cabinet of then-commissioner Phil Hogan when top Uber figure suggested finding him ‘something amazing’
Read more »