Bermuda Post

Thursday, Mar 23, 2023

Top anti-Google investigator quits European Commission

Top anti-Google investigator quits European Commission

Nicholas Banasevic, who led the charge against Google, will join the law firm Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP.
EU competition czar Margrethe Vestager is losing another of her most experienced commanders in the campaign against Google to a large law firm, just as she is escalating her battle against Big Tech.

Longtime official Nicholas Banasevic, who spearheaded the European Commission's antitrust probes against Google, will join the law firm Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP. The date of the move is still to be confirmed.

Banasevic is far from being the first high-profile name to jump ship this year. His move follows the departure of two other top competition officials with long experience in fighting Silicon Valley giants — Cecilio Madero Villarejo and Carles Esteva Mosso — who also are joining law firms that act for the very same companies. Madero was the chief of antitrust within the Commission's competition department when Vestager launched her crusade against Google.

Banasevic has "decided to leave DG Competition and the Commission to join private practice," Olivier Guersent, director general of the European Commission's competition department, informed his staff on Monday morning. "Nick has been key to the success of a number of the landmark cases that have made the reputation of excellence of DG Competition," Guersent wrote in an email seen by POLITICO.

Regulatory news outlet MLex first reported the move on Monday.

Banasevic, a British national, has worked at DG Competition for more than 20 years. Since 2012, he has headed the unit that brought three Google investigations that hit the search giant with more than €8 billion in fines. On November 10, the EU General Court will rule on Google's challenge of the first of those cases, which saw the company fined €2.42 billion over its shopping comparison service.

While the Commission has successfully concluded these cases with fines against the search giant, complainants in the cases grumble that Brussels' action has been less effective at reining in Google's dominance of the market.

The announcement of Banasevic's departure comes right after a five-day court hearing in Luxembourg over the Commission's €4.3 billion Android case against Google. At the court, the case team was represented not by Banasevic, but by his long-time deputy Brice Allibert.

Since May 16, Banasevic has also temporarily been in charge of the overarching Information, Communication and Media directorate following the promotion of Guillaume Loriot.

Christian Riis-Madsen, the EU chair of Gibson Dunn's antitrust and competition practice, welcomed his new recruit in a statement.

“We have admired Nick’s achievements and dedication to the Commission over a long career and we are excited to welcome him to Gibson Dunn in the near future,” Riis Madsen said.

The departure of a third top competition official from the Commission in less than a year triggered concerns about revolving doors.

A Commission spokesperson said Banasevic was "granted an authorization" for the move "with the appropriate restrictions imposed." The aim of the procedure "is to prevent any risk of a real, potential or perceived conflict with the Commission’s legitimate interest," the spokesperson added.

Gibson Dunn frequently represents Apple in U.S. lawsuits, including in its recent antitrust battle with game developer Epic. Vestager in April issued a charge sheet against Apple following a complaint from Apple Music rival Spotify. This and another investigation into Apple's app store rules were not handled directly by Banasevic's unit, but by two units that reported to him in his capacity as acting director.

Earlier this year, Madero and Esteva Mosso joined law firms specialized in antitrust after working for years as deputy director-general at DG COMP.

Madero, who was involved in high-profile battles such as those against Microsoft and Google — hand in hand with Banasevic — joined law firm Clifford Chance less than a year after he left his position at the Commission. The announcement came in May, a few weeks after the news that Esteva Mosso would leave his job as a deputy director general in charge of state aid to join law firm Latham and Watkins. The two announcements in rapid succession fueled concerns and debate over former top competition officials joining law firms.

Clifford Chance does work for Amazon, while Latham and Watkins does work for Facebook — two companies that are also involved in pending EU antitrust investigations.
Newsletter

Related Articles

Bermuda Post
Close
0:00
0:00
Donald Trump arrested – Twitter goes wild with doctored pictures
NYPD is setting up barricades outside Manhattan Criminal Court ahead of Trump arrest.
Credit Suisse's Scandalous History Resulted in an Obvious Collapse - It's time for regulators who fail to do their job to be held accountable and serve as an example by being behind bars.
Home Secretary Suella Braverman tours potential migrant housing in Rwanda as asylum deal remains mired in legal challenges
Paris Rioting vs Macron anti democratic law
'Sexual Fantasy' Assignment At US School Outrages Parents
Credit Suisse to borrow $54 billion from Swiss central bank
Russian Hackers Preparing New Cyber Assault Against Ukraine
Jeremy Hunt insists his Budget will get young parents and over-50s back into work
If this was in Tehran, Moscow or Hong Kong
Nashville police officer, and a female driver shooting one another
TRUMP: "Standing before you today, I am the only candidate who can make this promise: I will prevent World War III."
Mexican President Claims Mexico is Safer than the U.S.
A brief banking situation report
Lady bites police officer and gets instantly reaction
We are witnessing widespread bank fails and the president just gave a 5 min speech then walked off camera.
Donald Trump's asked by Tucker Carlson question on if the U.S. should support regime change in Russia?.
'No relation to the American SVB': India's SVC Bank acts to calm depositors amid brand name confusion.
Good news: The U.S. government is now guaranteeing all deposits, held by, Silicon Valley Bank, and the funds are available as of today
Silicon Valley Bank exec was Lehman Brothers CFO
In a potential last-ditch effort, HSBC is considering a rescue deal to save Silicon Valley Bank UK from insolvency
BBC Director General, Tim Davie, has apologized, but not resigned, yet, following the disruption of sports programmes over the weekend
Elon Musk Is Planning To Build A Town In Texas For His Employees
The Silicon Valley Bank’s collapse effect is spreading around the world, affecting startup companies across the globe
City officials in Berlin announced on Thursday that all swimmers at public pools will soon be allowed to swim topless
Fitness scam
Market Chaos as USDC Loses Peg to USD after $3.3 Billion Reserves Held by Silicon Valley Bank Closed.
A primitive judge in Australia sparked outrage when he told a breastfeeding woman to leave his courtroom for being “a distraction"
Barcelona is feeling the heat as they face corruption charges over payments to former vice-president of Spain's referees' committee, Jose Maria Enriquez Negreira
Senator Tom Cotton: If the Mexican Government Won’t Stop Cartels from Killing Americans, Then U.S. Government Should
Banking regulators close SVB, the largest bank failure since the financial crisis
The unelected UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, an immigrant himself, defends new controversial crackdown on illegal migration
Old clip of Bill Gates saying Ukraine is a big, fat, corrupt sinkhole is going viral
Man’s penis amputated by mistake after he’s wrongly diagnosed with a tumour
In a major snub to Downing Street's Silicon Valley dreams, UK chip giant Arm has dealt a serious blow to the government's economic strategy by opting for a US listing
How do stolen goods end up on Amazon, eBay and Facebook Marketplace?
It's the question on everyone's lips: could a four-day workweek be the future of employment?
Is Gold the Ultimate Safe Haven Asset in Times of Uncertainty?
Spain officials quit over trains that were too wide for tunnels...
Don Lemon, a CNN anchor, has provided a list of five areas that he believes the black community needs to address.
Hello. Here is our news digest from London.
Corruption and Influence Buying Uncovered in International Mainstream Media: Investigation Reveals Growing Disinformation Mercenaries
Givenchy Store in New York Robbed of $50,000 in Merchandise
European MP Clare Daly condemns US attack on Nord Stream
Former U.S. President Carter will spend his remaining time at home and receive hospice care instead of medication
Tucker Carlson called Trump a 'demonic force'
US Joins 15 NATO Nations in Largest Space Data Collection Initiative in History
White House: No ETs over the United States
U.S. Jet Shoots Down Flying Object Over Canada
Being a Tiktoker might be expensive…
×