Telenor boss gives evidence at Moriarty

The chairman of the Norwegian telecommunications company Telenor has been telling the Moriarty Tribunal about a request by businessman Denis O’Brien for them to make a political donation to the Fine Gael party on his behalf.

Arve Johannson said Mr O’Brien told him he did not want to make a personal donation of $50,000 because of a fuss in the Irish media.

Mr Johannson said that in September of 1995, Mr O’Brien asked him to make the donation.

"He told me to phone Fine Gael supporter David Austin about the money," Mr Johannson told the tribunal.

He said Telenor provided the money for Esat and they asked Mr Austin for an invoice. Mr Austin said he was invoiced for consultancy work.

When he then asked Mr Austin how the party would then recognise it as a donation, it is alleged he replied: "No problem, it will be acknowledged by top people in the party including John Bruton and Michael Lowry."