Lowry 'tried to get €500,000 rent deal for Dunne'

FORMER minister Michael Lowry tried to get a son of former Fine Gael Taoiseach Garret FitzGerald to lean on an employee to sanction a rent increase on a property owned by Ben Dunne, the Moriarty Tribunal heard.

If the alleged ploy had worked, it would have put over 500,000 of taxpayers' money into the supermarket boss's pocket as the tenant of the building was then State-owned company, Telecom Éireann.

Mr Dunne has written to the tribunal denying the allegation and saying he only contacted Mr Lowry to see if he could hurry up the rent review process.