ONE of the principal Irish American figures involved in the 1994 IRA ceasefire has been embroiled in a legal battle in the US over the sale of his shares in the duty free operator, DFS Group, to Mr Bernard Arnault, chairman of LVMH Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton.

Mr Charles `Chuck' Feeney and his business partner, Mr Alan Parker, have sold their combined 58.75 per cent interest in DFS for $2.47 billion (£1.49 billion). The founder of DFS, Mr Robert Miller, has filed a suit in New York State Supreme Court against Mr Feeney and Mr Parker, seeking to set aside the sale, according to a report in the Wall St Journal's European edition.

Mr Feeney, who lives in London and is reckoned to be one of the richest men in Britain, was brought into the Northern Ireland peace talks through the influence of the Irish Voice which is published by Mr Niall O'Dowd. Mr Feeney has a number of business interests in Ireland, including some prime Dublin property and the Castletroy Park Hotel in Limerick.