Businessman Denis O'Brien has told the High Court he never bribed former communications minister Michael Lowry or any politician. "I have never paid Michael Lowry. I never paid any minister. I never bribed anybody," he said.
Mr O'Brien also strongly denied that he had told the then CEO of Esat Digifone Barry Maloney, during a mountain run in 1996, that he had paid Mr Lowry IR£100,000.
He had read in the newspapers about Michael Lowry's difficulties, Mr O'Brien said. "He was being slated left, right and centre. I said that person is in difficulty. Should I financially help him or not? It was a fleeting thought. I didn't."
Mr Lowry was being pilloried in the press and, maybe for "a fleeting moment", he thought he would like to help him, he added. However, he did not, he said.
Mr O'Brien was being cross-examined on the second day of his libel action against the Mirror Group of Newspapers over an article in the Irish Mirror in 1998. The defence has admitted the article in question was untrue and defamatory of Mr O'Brien, and the case is before the court to assess the damages to be paid.
The action is against Mirror Group Newspapers Ltd; the then editor in chief of the Daily Mirror, Piers Morgan; and the then editor of the Irish Mirror, Neil Leslie, arising from the article published on June 10th, 1998.
The defence has admitted that articles published over three pages, which the Mirror admits were untrue, meant Mr O'Brien had paid IR£30,000 to Ray Burke, that he had paid money by way of a bribe to Ray Burke and had paid the money for the purpose of securing a licence to broadcast for the 98FM radio station.
The article alleged former government minister Ray Burke was to be investigated for a third alleged payment of IR£30,000. The article also referred to an anonymous letter which alleged the donation came from "top radio boss Denis O'Brien". The defence has said those allegations are untrue.
Yesterday, Eoin McCullough SC, for the Mirror, put questions to Mr O'Brien about a conversation between then CEO of Esat Digifone Barry Maloney and Mr O'Brien while the pair were out running in the Wicklow mountains in 1996 . During this conversation, it was alleged Mr O'Brien had said he had paid Michael Lowry IR£100,000 and another IR£100,000 to an unnamed person.
Mr O'Brien said he had never mentioned Michael Lowry's name at all. He said he had said he had had to pay IR£200,000.
"I am paying the price for a stupid remark on the mountainside. I admit it was not true. What happened has been blown out of all proportion. This was not coincidental that Barry Maloney put his hand up a year later." Mr O'Brien said he had said he had had to pay IR£200,000. "I admit it was an untruth, it was a way of getting Barry Moloney to pay invoices." He was "spoofing", he said.
If he had said Michael Lowry's name in the conversation with Barry Maloney, Mr Maloney would have raised it with the Esat board, he said.
In 1997, when a tribunal of inquiry was being set up, Barry Maloney had asked him did he ever pay anybody or Michael Lowry for the licence. "I said, No, I did not." Counsel put it to Mr O'Brien that it was clear during the mountain run that both he and Barry Maloney understood he was talking about Michael Lowry. Mr O'Brien said: "Absolutely not."
At the end of an Esat board inquiry into the alleged conversation, Mr Maloney had accepted his word and so had the directors, Mr O'Brien said.
Asked by counsel would it not be disastrous if it got out that he had made a claim a year previously to having paid Mr Lowry IR£100,000, Mr O'Brien replied: "I did not make it. I say categorically I did not mention Michael Lowry's name in conversation with Barry Maloney on the mountainside."The case before Ms Justice Elizabeth Dunne and a jury continues today.