Burton had exchange with O’Brien in New York

Joan Burton had an exchange with tycoon Denis O’Brien on the day he was controversially pictured with the Taoiseach at the New York stock exchange, the Irish Examiner has learned.

The Social Protection Minister refused to comment on whether this contradicted her outspoken views on Government members being seen with the media mogul, who was the subject of a negative finding by the Moriarty Tribunal.

Enda Kenny came under severe fire for posing for a photograph with Mr O’Brien during his St Patrick’s Day tour of the US.

It has now emerged that Ms Burton was taking part in an event that Mr O’Brien was also attending in the stock exchange building and that the two exchanged greetings.

A source said the pair “bumped into each other and said hello” and that both were involved on different panels at an event intended to boost Irish trade.

The Moriarty Tribunal found former Fine Gael communications minister Michael Lowry had “secured” the winning of the State’s second mobile phone licence for O’Brien, and that the latter had provided payments and benefits running into hundreds of thousands of pounds to Mr Lowry.

After the Taoiseach was attacked for appearing on the stock exchange balcony with Mr O’Brien, Ms Burton accepted Mr Kenny had been invited to the event, and had not controlled who else was invited, but added: “It is perhaps time for the Government to reflect on how it should in future interact with people against whom adverse findings have been made by tribunals.”

Meetings between Fine Gael Government members and Mr Lowry and Mr O’Brien have caused tensions in recent weeks.

Public Sector Reform Minister Brendan Howlin was among a number of Labour figures to express unease about dealings with Mr O’Brien.

Mr Howlin said there should be “a consequence” for those against whom negative findings were made by tribunals of inquiry.

He said there had been “adverse comments” about the attendance of Mr O’Brien at last year’s Global Irish Economic Forum, and the Government needed to reflect on that.

Mr Howlin said the Cabinet had not discussed a list of people to be “shunned”, but that ministers would discuss such matters if future invitations were to be issued.

The tribunal found that Mr O’Brien made two payments to Mr Lowry in 1996 and 1999 totalling around £500,000 and backed a loan of stg£420,000 given to Mr Lowry in 1999.

Mr Justice Moriarty said the payments from Mr O’Brien were “demonstrably referable to the acts and conduct of Mr Lowry” during the mobile licence process. Mr Justice Moriarty found it to be “a clandestine system to confer payments.”

The media tycoon was unavailable for comment.