Room swept for bugs before licence bids

CIVIL servants who vetted the consortia seeking the State’s second mobile phone licence in 1995 were very conscious of confidentiality, accountant Billy Riordan told the Moriarty Tribunal yesterday.

Mr Riordan, who was on temporary assignment to the Department of Finance, said he was not a member of the GSM2 project team but attended their meetings to provide financial assistance to the members.

He described the process as involving a level of confidentiality with which he was not familiar. Before the oral presentations were made by the consortia that bid for the licence, the room was swept for bugs. Asked by tribunal lawyer Jerry Healy SC whether he had spoken to anyone outside the process about the oral presentations, Mr Riordan said: “Absolutely categorically not.”

He said he was not aware of anyone involved speaking with anyone outside the process.

The eventual report showed the Denis O’Brien-led Esat Digifone consortium won with 432 marks.

Persona was placed second on 410 marks.