Lowry ‘didn’t interfere’ in mobile phone decision

A SENIOR civil servant told the Moriarty Tribunal yesterday he didn’t believe former Minister Michael Lowry interfered with the process by which Esat Digifone was selected to operate the country’s second mobile telephone network.

Martin Brennan, an assistant secretary in the Department of Communications, agreed with Rossa Fanning BL, counsel for Mr Lowry, he was effectively staking his professional reputation on the tribunal finding there was no interference in the process.

Neither did he believe it was possible for Mr Lowry to have interfered in the adjudicative process. Mr Lowry was more interested in the execution of decisions rather than the detail behind them. "I actually don't think that the minister, at any time, got a deep understanding of the process before, during or after," said Mr Brennan. The tribunal heard how a departmental GSM project team, chaired by Mr Brennan and assisted by Danish consultants, vetted the bidders for the second mobile licence and Mr Lowry announced Digifone as the winner in late October 1995. After negotiations, Mr Lowry issued the licence the following May.