A competition ruling forcing BAA to sell airports was "riven" with the appearance of bias, the group told an appeal hearing, even as talks continued on the sale of Gatwick, Britain's second-biggest airport, Reuters reported.
BAA, majority owned by Spanish infrastructure company Grupo Ferrovial, was ordered by Britain's Competition Commission in March to sell London's Gatwick and Stansted, as well as either Edinburgh or Glasgow.
BAA's lawyer Nicholas Green told an appeals tribunal the process was "riven through" with the appearance of bias, which he described as "acute and intolerable", because Professor Peter Moizer, a member of the original commission inquiry, advised a consortium bidding for Gatwick.
Moizer advises the Greater Manchester Pension Fund, part of a consortium with Manchester Airports Group and Borealis that was vying with Global Infrastructure Partners (GIP), a fund founded by Credit Suisse Group AG and General Electric, to buy Gatwick.
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