Letters naming Lowry as owner of property ‘mischievous forgeries’

A FORMER adviser to Denis O’Brien has claimed letters indicating that TD Michael Lowry was the owner of a property in Britain were forgeries and drawn up mischievously.

Aidan Phelan told the Moriarty Tribunal the letters handed over by an Irish Times journalist were written in order to mislead the tribunal.

The financial adviser was being quizzed yesterday about two different versions of the same letters, one indicating Mr Lowry was owner of the property, the other stating Mr Phelan was the owner.

Both were written on headed notepaper that appeared to come from a British firm of solicitors.

This firm was involved in the sale of the property.

Mr Phelan, who was also involved in property transactions in Britain with Mr Lowry, told the Tribunal he could not identify anyone who would be so motivated by malice as to break into a solicitor’s office, steal notepaper and forge a signature, all to falsely imply that the former minister was involved.

These copies were given to the Tribunal by an Irish Times journalist.

But another set were handed over by the British solicitor and refer to Aidan Phelan as the owner.

The Tribunal believes it may have been given false documents and it has questioned whether this was done deliberately in order to conceal Michael Lowry’s involvement.

Mr Phelan said he believes the letters that were handed over by the Irish Times journalist were created by someone in order to mislead the Tribunal.

But he could not point to anyone who would want to do such a thing.

He said that by the time these letters were written, Michael Lowry had no involvement in the property deal.