O’Brien father says he ‘never saw note before’

THE father of telecoms billionaire Denis O’Brien was not able to explain to the Moriarty Tribunal yesterday his solicitor’s note linking Tipperary North TD Michael Lowry to the purchase of English soccer club Doncaster Rovers.

Dismissing the record of a meeting, or phone conversation, he had with William Fry solicitors in June 2002 as “mumbo jumbo”, businessman Denis O’Brien snr declared: “I’ve never seen this before.”

Listing the Moriarty Tribunal as its subject matter, the note expressed concern at the “apparent collaboration with ML/ML adviser” in making a larger payment to British-based property agent Kevin Phelan.