Tribunal in extra time to hear from crucial witness

THE Moriarty Tribunal will move into extra time next week in an effort to finish hearing evidence from its crucial final witness.

Mr Justice Michael Moriarty, chairman of the 13-year-old payments-to-politicians probe yesterday ordered more hours for sittings after the High Court rejected an initial attempt to end the involvement of former Justice Minister and Attorney General Michael McDowell.

The ex-Progressive Democrats party leader was controversially called in this week, specifically to question the tribunal’s last witness, Danish consultant Professor Michael Andersen about his part in the 1995 government award of Ireland’s second mobile phone licence to a consortium headed by top telecoms businessman Denis O’Brien.

Mr Andersen has said that if his evidence is not over by the end of next week, he will be unable to return to Dublin until the second part of next year – a development that would threaten the tribunal’s plans for publishing its ultimate report.

Regarded as one of the tribunal’s central witnesses on the phone issue, he has also emerged as among the most critical during his so-far four-day grilling.

Mr Andersen refused for eight years to give evidence, changing tack earlier this year after securing an indemnity against possible future legal action against him or his consultancy company. The indemnity was granted not by the tribunal itself, but by Mr O’Brien.

Mr Justice Moriarty said hearings would start earlier and end later every day next week to ensure completion of the key Andersen evidence.

Mr Andersen, who has been involved as an adviser in more than 200 phone licence awards internationally over a period of years, has underscored at the tribunal his view that the marathon investigation’s legal team believe another of the contesting groups should have secured the licence 15 years ago.

He has also accused the tribunal of reaching a hostile view of the decision reached then, as indicated in a set of provisional findings, and complained about the “angry” tone of his interrogator, Mr McDowell.

Mr Andersen faced lengthy examination by the one-time senior politician over the methods used to identify the bid made by Mr O’Brien’s Esat Digifone group as successful in the contest for the licence.