O’Reilly denies approaching Lowry over licence bid

Anthony O’Reilly, the chairman of eircom and Independent News and Media, has denied approaching former government minister Michael Lowry in relation to the competition for Ireland’s second mobile phone licence.

Mr O’Reilly was part of a consortium that failed to secure the licence, but he told the Moriarty Tribunal today that he had no role in the licence application.

He also said he had no input into an Irish Independent editorial on the eve of the 1997 General Election urging voters to get rid of the Rainbow Coalition.

Sean Donlon, a former adviser to the coalition, told the tribunal yesterday that INM was hostile to the Rainbow Coalition because of its failure to take action requested by Mr O’Reilly to protect his commercial interests.