Lowry pressured to answer questions

Michael Lowry is still refusing to answer questions about apparent contradictions to his evidence to the Moriarty Tribunal after pressure was raised on him by a junior minister.

Minister of State Alan Kelly has called on the Independent TD to stop ignoring the questions arising from evidence that emerged two weeks ago about payments to a land agent. He is the most senior politician in the Government side of the Dáil to make such a call publicly.

In a submission to the tribunal in 2007, Mr Lowry claimed that only £65,000 was paid to Northern Ireland agent Kevin Phelan to settle fees relating to a land deal in Wigan. But details were published two weeks ago of a 2004 telephone conversation with Mr Phelan, in which the Tipperary North TD referred to a payment of between £200,000 and £250,000 and said it was “not put through my books”.