Kenny rules out reopening Moriarty

Taoiseach Enda Kenny has ruled out reconvening the Moriarty tribunal to investigate fresh revelations relating to Independent TD Michael Lowry.

He was responding to Fianna Fáil leader Micheál Martin who said in the Dáil today that the House should facilitate a re-examination of the issues raised in a transcript of a telephone conversation, published by The Sunday Independent, in which Mr Lowry spoke of a payment, apparently of £250,000 sterling, he made to Kevin Phelan, an Omagh, Co Tyrone, land agent.

Mr Kenny said that when a tribunal was set up by the Oireachtas, it had no further function in the matter. And Moriarty has already reported, he added.

He said any information available should be brought to the attention of the appropriate authorities. Mr Martin said the contents of the transcript were quite dramatic and startling.

He was concerned, he said, that the tribunal was continually undermined in its efforts to get to the full truth of the issues it was investigating.

Mr Martin said the Fianna Fáil senator, Diarmuid Wilson, had forwarded material on the issue to the tribunal chairman.

Senator Wilson understands that there are other issues out there in relation to this which will be coming down the tracks, he added.

The Fianna Fáil leader said one is left with a very uneasy feeling that the tribunal was not told the full truth or that groups of people, witnesses, were meeting, telephoning, were engaging with each other before giving evidence to the tribunal.