Ganley bid to include tribunal findings in action challenged

The Chief State Solicitors Office is challenging an amendment by businessman, Declan Ganley, to include the findings of the Moriarty Tribunal in his case against the State and Denis O’Brien over the second mobile phone licence.

Mr Ganley was part of a consortium with the US telecoms firm, Comcast, that lost out in the second mobile phone licence awarded by the State to the Denis O’Brien controlled Esat Digifone in 1995.

The competition process has been dogged by controversy and was the subject of the lengthy Moriarty Tribunal, which looked into allegations that then minister for communications, Michael Lowry, had influenced the outcome.