Hogan-Lowry meeting - Questions raised

The controversy surrounding Fine Gael following Taoiseach Enda Kenny’s visible proximity to businessman Denis O’Brien at the embarrassing bell ringing event in Wall St is further deepened by today’s front page report of a meeting between Environment Minister Phil Hogan and disgraced former FG minister Michael Lowry.

Both Mr O’Brien and Mr Lowry were implicated in the Moriarty Report into payments to politicians and related matters. Arguably, the businessman’s presence in a group picture with the Taoiseach could be coincidental. But it was politically inept, unacceptable, should have been avoided, and will continue to dog Mr Kenny.

That Mr Lowry and Mr Hogan were friends is well known. However, the timing and duration of their meeting presents the party with an equally embarrassing problem. As today’s exclusive revelation of Mr Hogan’s diary shows, the scheduled meeting was longer than any afforded to any other TD or senator from any other party during his first year in office.

With the ink barely dry on the Moriarty document, their hour-long session behind closed doors was totally inappropriate. Perception is everything in politics and this matter raises further questions about Mr Hogan’s judgment and Fine Gael’s relationship with those implicated by Judge Moriarty’s damning report.