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TAXPAYERS could be facing multi-million euro compensation claims from losing bidders for the state’s second mobile phone licence after the Moriarty Tribunal found that former Fine Gael minister Michael Lowry had helped Denis O’Brien’s Esat consortium win the lucrative competition.

A series of findings against Mr Lowry has led to calls for his resignation from the Dáil after the tribunal found he had passed on sensitive information to Mr O’Brien during the licence process in 1995.

The explosive report also heaped pressure on Taoiseach Enda Kenny, after the tribunal criticised Fine Gael for failing to reveal a $50,000 donation it received from the consortium just two months after Esat had won the competition.

In its 2,400-page second and final report, the tribunal described Mr Lowry’s actions as “reprehensible” and likened them to former Taoiseach Charles Haughey.

The tribunal concluded that Mr Lowry had “beyond doubt” imparted “substantive information to Mr O’Brien of significant value and assistance to him in securing the licence”.

It found Mr Lowry had benefited from a number of British property deals worth in excess of stg£720,000 which were linked to Mr O’Brien.

It also revealed how Mr Lowry, when communications minister, unsuccessfully tried to ensure that Telecom Éireann paid higher rent on a building owned by Ben Dunne, which would have benefited the businessman by £7.35m.

The tribunal said the actions of Mr Lowry and Mr Dunne were “profoundly corrupt to a degree that was nothing short of breathtaking”.

The tribunal also presented the Government with its first major controversy after criticising Fine Gael over its failure to disclose to the legal team the $50,000 donation.

Tribunal chairman Mr Justice Michael Moriarty said such an omission was “regrettable” and “betrayed a marked reluctance to engage with the tribunal”.

Taoiseach Enda Kenny — who in 1996 defended Mr Lowry following his resignation from Cabinet as “a man of the highest integrity and honour” — was accused of evading questions on the report yesterday.

Fianna Fáil leader Micheál Martin insisted the Taoiseach had serious issues to explain regarding the money, which was eventually handed back by Fine Gael.

But Mr Kenny said he had not yet read the report and needed time to do so.

Among the report’s main findings were that:

* Mr Lowry had “irregular interactions” with interested parties at the most sensitive stages of the competition.

* Esat had a copy of a letter sent by the European Commission to Mr Lowry which contained crucial information on the weighting criteria used to assess the bids.

* Mr Lowry and AIB officials “knowingly and improperly” concealed details of his offshore bank accounts from the authorities.

But Mr O’Brien last night denied ever paying “one red cent” to Mr Lowry and lashed out at the tribunal.

The businessman, who made a personal profit of €292 million after he later sold Esat Digifone to British Telecom, described the report as “fundamentally flawed”.

In a statement, Mr Lowry said the tribunal’s findings were “factually wrong and deliberately misleading”.

But there are now fears the findings about Mr Lowry’s “insidious and pervasive” role in the licence process could trigger legal actions against the state.

One unsuccessful bidder, the Persona consortium, will begin a Supreme Court challenge tomorrow against the awarding of the licence to Esat based on evidence uncovered by the tribunal. Another losing bidder, Comcast, which is linked to businessman Declan Ganley, is considering a similar action.