Moriarty tribunal to hear evidence

The Moriarty tribunal, which had been expected to issue its report earlier this year, is to sit on Thursday and Friday of next week, to hear further evidence.

Two civil servants from the Attorney General’s office are due to give evidence on whether legal advice was given in 1996, concerning the issuing of a mobile phone licence to Denis O’Brien’s Esat Digifone.

The officials involved are John Gormley and Denis McFadden. In 1996 the Department of Transport, Energy and Communications, was concerned as to whether the licence could be issued, given that the make-up of the Esat consortium at the time was different to that which had existed when it bid for the licence. Legal advice was sought from Richard Nesbitt SC, who has told the tribunal he gave both written and oral advice. He said he had a “crystal clear” recollection of saying that the licence could be issued. The matter of the advice given to the State is crucial as it affects a key issue concerning whether then minister Michael Lowry interfered with the process to encourage granting of the licence to Esat Digifone.