A money trail from a bank account controlled by former Esat chairman Mr Denis O'Brien leads to an offshore account held by the former Minister for Communications Mr Michael Lowry, the Moriarty Tribunal was told today.
Counsel for the tribunal Mr Jerry Healy SC told the tribunal that a Dutch company with an Irish bank account controlled by Mr O'Brien transferred £150,000 to an account held by Mr Aidan Phelan, a business associate of the former Esat chairman. Mr Phelan gacve an address in the US on the account.
The money was then sent to Fine Gael fundraiser the late Mr David Austin before eventually appearing as £147,000 in an account held by Mr Lowry.
"That is the web of intrigue I am concerned about," Mr Healy said.
Mr Lowry has told the tribunal that £147,000 paid by Mr Austin was a loan for refurbishing a house the former minister owned in Blackrock, Co Dublin.
Mr Healy said Mr Austin's account with the Bank of Ireland in Jersey "seems to have been set up for the purpose of receiving the £150,000."
When Mr Lowry was asked about the "roundabout" way the money had been paid to Mr Austin, he said this was a matter for Mr O'Brien. "Never at any stage have I ever had any discussions with Denis O'Brien over payments to me," Mr Lowry said.
He said that evidence previously given to the Tribunal by Mr O'Brien in which the former Esat chairman said he may have discussed paying £100,000 to Mr Lowry as "bull on the mountain".
Mr O'Brien said the discussion took place with the former Esat Digifone chief executive Mr Mr Barry Maloney while the pair were jogging in the Wicklow mountains. Mr Maloney has contested this version of events in evidence.
In previous evidence to the tribunal Mr Healy said that Mr O'Brien paid the £150,000 to Mr Austin in respect of the purchase of an apartment in Spain. However the tribunal previously discovered that Mr Austin lived in the apartment for two years after the transaction took place.