Senior civil servant believed project team would choose winning bid

A SENIOR civil servant told the Moriarty Tribunal yesterday the clear understanding given to him and colleagues who vetted bidders seeking the State’s second mobile phone licence was that they alone would select the winner.

The evaluation of the applicants was conducted by the GSM2 project team, of which he was a member, as a sealed process. Evidence has been heard the project team agreed to abide by a strict protocol not to discuss the matter outside their meeting room.

The tribunal is examining whether former communications minister Michael Lowry interfered with the process.