One51 chief executive Philip Lynch has emerged ahead from an ill tempered confrontation with rebel shareholders at the company's agm.

He has fought off - for now - an attempt by the rebels to win three seats on the One51 board.

Shareholders were not permitted to vote directly on the proposed election of Gerry Killen, Peter Brennan and Alf Smiddy.

Under fire from the dissidents at the three hour meeting, however, Mr Lynch admitted that he received a bonus last year as part of his overall 1.4m euro pay packet.

Payments to senior executives were among the chief bones of contention for the rebel shareholders.

The meeting was not told the names of nine executives who received payments from the tax-free patent income which the group routed through a series of companies, including companies that were outside the group.

The executives received payments totalling 2m euro in 2008 and 2009 out of 4.96m euro that was channeled through the companies.

Chief financial officer Alan Walsh said the scheme was in essence a bonus scheme and that he had put it in place. He said individual directors' remuneration would be disclosed in the 2010 annual report. One51 was spun off from food and farm supply group IAWS in 2005, and has investments in a wide range of businesses, from waste management and alternative energy to financial services. It posted a loss of 11m euro last year, however, after being hit by 28.5m euro in exceptional charges for a writedown to its stake in the Irish Continental ferry line. The dissidents, who had tabled a series of questions for the meeting, denied that they were disapppointed at its outcome. Mr Killen said afterwards that he would now consult his solicitors on whether to take legal action over the way the vote to elect directors took place. He also said he still might call an egm of the company in order to seek further clarification on some of matters. Under fire on the issue of his pay, Mr Lynch told the meeting that he had "no problem" in saying that he had received 1.4m euro last year. He also said that turnover at the group had risen in the past six months, something he described as a "great result". The rebels were trying to "distract and destabilise" the company, he said.