‘Could take six years to resume dividend payments’

It could take up to six years for Independent News & Media to resume dividend payments to its shareholders, with chairman Leslie Buckley yesterday saying that group performance in the next two years will be critical to chances of an early resumption.

Asked by one shareholder at yesterday’s EGM to pass INM’s latest capital raising plans, if the board might be in a position to pay a dividend in the foreseeable future, Mr Buckley said that they “would like to think we could be”.

When asked if the timeframe could be as long as five or six years, Mr Buckley replied: “It could be”.