O'Brien denies Lowry payment

Former Esat chairman Denis O’Brien has once again told the Moriarty Tribunal today that he did not make a payment of £100,000 to former minister Michael Lowry.

Mr O’Brien faced repeated questioning about remarks of an alleged payment he made while out running in the Wicklow mountains with a friend in 1996.

Throughout the day, Mr O’Brien was questioned about the comments he made to his Chief Executive Barry Moloney.

He told Mr Moloney that he had paid £200,000 to other people after the Esat licence was awarded.

Mr O’Brien told the tribunal that he had intended to give £100,000 to Michael Lowry as he had been fair to Esat in their dealings with the then Telecom Eireann.

The tribunal heard that the payment was just a thought but never actually took place.