Lowry to defend actions in Dáil statement on Moriarty

DISGRACED ex-minister, Micheal Lowry, will attempt to defend his actions in the awarding of a state mobile phone licence with a Dáil statement on the Moriarty Tribunal.

The defiant Independent TD also hinted that his legal bills amounting to an estimated €5 million will be passed on to the taxpayer, insisting: “I don’t have the resources to pay that sort of bill.”

As the Dáil prepares to debate the findings of the Moriarty Tribunal report tomorrow, the Government was urged to accept that the awarding of the licence in 1995 was “flawed” to avoid further costly legal battles.

The Persona consortium, which lost out on the deal, has vowed to continue with a Supreme Court challenge of the decision.

Director Tony Boyle said it is determined to get justice. “What we call upon is that immediately, the Government would accept that this process was flawed, was not carried out in accordance with the rules that were laid down and that is clear. We believe the Government should first do that to save the need for any more money to be wasted.”

Mr Lowry will be allocated time to deliver his script during a two-day Dáil debate on the Moriarty report this week.

But he will not face any questioning from TDs and will be able to watch from the opposition backbenches as ministers from his former Fine Gael party allow an hour of questions on the matter.

Minister for Agriculture Simon Coveney said yesterday it would be “absolutely unacceptable” if Mr Lowry did not take part in the debate.

“I understand he wants to participate to put his side of the story across. To debate a Moriarty Tribunal Report in the Dáil obviously requires the main participant to be involved in that debate,” he said.

In an interview with the News of the World yesterday, Mr Lowry revealed his Tribunal legal team are still awaiting payment. “We are obviously doing an assessment on the final bill, but it will be in the multi-millions, yes,” he said.

In an indication that the cost may be passed onto the taxpayer, he said the legal team “will have to get their money but I don’t have the resources to pay that sort of bill”.

He has up until June to make submissions for legal costs to the tribunal, which has the power to deny costs to those deemed not to have co-operated with its work.