Group urges foreign follow-up

AN anti-corruption body has asked the Director of Corporate Enforcement as well as foreign authorities to follow up on the damning findings of the Moriarty Tribunal.

Transparency International Ireland (TII) has referred the Esat mobile phone licence inquiry to leading law officials, asking for an investigation into possible criminal activities as well as potential company law violations.

The freezing of profits from any alleged illicit payments made to former Communications Minister Michael Lowry from telecoms businessman Denis O’Brien or his associates must also be considered, said the group.

Findings have also been sent to Norwegian authorities over claims in the report that company Telenor tried to make a secret $50,000 payment to Fine Gael after the licence was awarded.

TII chief executive John Devitt yesterday explained: “If evidence of criminal wrongdoing is uncovered by the gardaí and Norwegian authorities, prosecutions must follow. Where there is sufficient evidence to show that profits have arisen from corrupt transactions, those profits must be seized by the Irish state.”

TII have also asked the Criminal Assets Bureau to investigate the circumstances surrounding the awarding of Ireland’s second mobile licence in 1995.

“It is also worth noting that if a finding were made of corrupt enrichment arising from the award of the second mobile licence, the proceeds from a seizure could more than recoup the running costs of the Moriarty Tribunal for the Irish taxpayer,” Mr Devitt added.

Tribunal chairman Mr Justice Moriarty has been encouraged to forward any evidence of obstruction or attempts to mislead the inquiry to the Director of Public Prosecutions.

Mr Devitt explained how findings were also referred to the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development’s working group on bribery, which will be expected to monitor investigations in Ireland and Norway into the tribunal allegations.

TII also want Irish authorities to investigate alleged corrupt payments by Ben Dunne to Deputy Michael Lowry and any apparent illicit enrichment arising from Mr Dunne’s payments.

In Norway, details of the report have been forwarded to the country’s department that handles communications as well as the National Economic Crime Unit there, the equivalent of the Garda Fraud Squad.