A former employee of Fine Gael and adviser to Mr John Bruton helped Mr Denis O'Brien raise his profile within Fine Gael around the time of the 1995 mobile phone licence competition.
Mr Dan Egan told the tribunal he was approached by the late Mr Jim Mitchell in 1995 and asked if he would work as an adviser to Mr O'Brien. Mr Egan was no longer employed by Fine Gael or Mr Bruton at the time.
Mr Egan said he met Mr O'Brien and discussed matters before he decided to work for him.
He recalled that at their first meeting they discussed Mr Richard Branson and how a person could become associated in the public mind with a particular business and how this was a valuable business asset.
His task in working for Mr O'Brien was to raise the Esat profile and help get the licence for Esat Digifone.
He advised Mr O'Brien to attend political fund-raisers in order to meet senior political figures and senior business figures, but not to be seen to be supporting any party in particular. He also advised Mr O'Brien to meet ministers in commercial departments as raising his profile with them could help if the licence issue was subsequently discussed at Cabinet.
He arranged a meeting between Mr O'Brien and Mr Enda Kenny, then minister for tourism. The meeting occurred in Leinster House in May 1995. While waiting for Mr Kenny they met Mr Richard Bruton, the then minister for enterprise and employment, and Mr Bruton agreed to meet Mr O'Brien later that evening. Mr O'Brien's meetings with the ministers each lasted about 15 minutes. Mr Egan did not attend.
He said he recalled Mr O'Brien saying he had met Mr Michael Lowry at a function.
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