ESAT founder Denis O’Brien has launched another stinging criticism of the Moriarty Tribunal.

Denis O’Brien doggedly pursued business and wealth, so he is unlikely to give up on his challenge to Moriarty’s findings, says Seán McCárthaigh

THE curtain has at last come down on the Moriarty Tribunal. For 14 years, it has largely lived in the shadow of its livelier, more rambling but ultimately more loveable counterpart — the Mahon (formerly Flood) Tribunal.

DENIS O’BRIEN concluded his evidence to the Moriarty Tribunal yesterday with a further rebuke of the inquiry’s legal team.

MORE than €9m has been spent by businessman Denis O’Brien on legal representation at the Moriarty Tribunal, it emerged yesterday.

A LOSING consortium in the bid for Ireland’s second mobile phone licence has been accused of using the Moriarty Tribunal as a “stalking horse” for a massive compensation claim against the State.

MILLIONAIRE businessman Denis O’Brien yesterday lost his legal bid in the High Court to restrain the Moriarty Tribunal from calling economist Peter Bacon to give evidence in public about the procedures which led to the award of the State’s second mobile phone licence to Esat Digifone.

THE consortium beaten to the country's second mobile phone licence will proceed with a multi-million euro civil action against the State irrespective of the Moriarty Tribunal's findings, said Persona chairman Tony Boyle.

MICHAEL LOWRY would have been equally happy if the Persona consortium had won the competition to run the State’s second mobile phone network, according to a member of the civil service team that evaluated the six bidders.

JUST weeks before civil servants chose Esat Digifone as winner of the State’s second mobile phone licence competition, Michael Lowry was under pressure from bidders who were concerned “the competition was sewn up and the media favourite had the licence in the bag”.

FINANCIER Dermot Desmond has personally contacted Mr Justice Michael Moriarty on a number of occasions to complain about the way the tribunal is conducting its inquiry, the clearly annoyed chairman said yesterday.

THE Moriarty Tribunal will today embark on the most complex phase of the five-year-old inquiry when it examines the background to the awarding of the State's second mobile phone licence to Denis O'Brien's Esat Digifone group.