High Court to decide tomorrow on McDowell tribunal participation

The High Court will decide tomorrow whether to halt the former Tánaiste Michael McDowell's involvement in the Moriarty Tribunal.

The former Attorney General has been hired as counsel for the Tribunal to question Danish telecommunications expert Michael Andersen, who was the lead consultant to the Government in the process of awarding a mobile phone licence to Esat Digifone in 1995.

The Tribunal is investigating the awarding of the licence to Esat Digifone, of which businessmen Denis O'Brien and Dermot Desmond were shareholders.

Mr O'Brien's lawyers told the High Court today that hiring Mr McDowell gave rise to the appearance of bias, given his careers as a TD and Attorney General.

Mr Desmond's lawyers said out of 2,000 practising barristers in Ireland it would be hard to find one with more conflicts of interest than Mr McDowell.

Mr Justice John Hedigan adjourned the matter until the morning to allow the Tribunal's lawyers to put their side forward.