Tribunal losing the plot, says Desmond

CONTROVERSIAL businessman Dermot Desmond has accused the Moriarty Tribunal of “losing the plot” over the manner in which it investigated his involvement in the consortium which won the lucrative second mobile phone licence.

He also complained about the length of the inquiry and the way it seemed to believe in "wild conspiracy theories" without any evidence of interference in the award of the licence by former Fine Gael minister Michael Lowry.

"I believe that the tribunal has given credence to the false impression that the identity of the provider of finance was a, or even 'the', determining factor. This was not the case," said Mr Desmond.