Tribunal needed result - Desmond

Businessman Dermot Desmond has tonight claimed Mr Justice Moriarty felt under pressure to achieve a "result" in his report because…

Businessman Dermot Desmond has tonight claimed Mr Justice Moriarty felt under pressure to achieve a "result" in his report because of the length and cost of its inquiries.

The Moriarty tribunal's second and final report, published today, found Independent TD Michael Lowry assisted Denis O'Brien in his bid to secure a mobile phone contract for Esat Digifone.

It concluded it is “beyond doubt” that then minister for transport, energy and communications Mr Lowry gave “substantive information to Denis O'Brien, of significant value and assistance to him in securing the [mobile] licence”.

Noting the tribunal had not been investigating any wrongdoing on his part, Mr Desmond said he was offering observations "as someone intimately involved in the tribunal process over the last thirteen years".

READ MORE

He said the core issue was whether the integrity of the GSM mobile licence process was breached by Mr Lowry or any other politician, and that the process was adjudicated on by 15 to 20 civil servants with an independent consultant and independently decided on, without the involvement of Mr Lowry or any other politician.

"The civil servants involved are persons of the highest integrity from different Departments, different backgrounds, different skill sets and different counties in Ireland. These civil servants have no vested interest.

"Each of the civil servants gave testimony under oath that Mr Lowry had not suborned or attempted to suborn them or the process. No evidence was put forward to the contrary. I encourage the investigative journalists to review the evidence and draw their own conclusions," Mr Desmond said.

"In the absence of any political interference in the adjudication process, any interactions which may or may not have taken place between Denis O’Brien and Michael Lowry are just sideshows to the central issue of the award of the licence."