Moriarty: 'Beyond doubt' that Lowry gave information to O'Brien

The Moriarty Tribunal, which has been examining possible links between businessman Denis O'Brien and former Fine Gael minister Michael Lowry, has published its report.

The second and final report of the Moriarty Tribunal - which has been examining possible links between the businessman Denis O'Brien and former Minister Michael Lowry - has been published.

The inquiry examined Mr Lowry's role as Communications Minister in 1995 and 1996, when Mr O'Brien's ESAT Digifone won the country's second mobile phone licence.

The report finds that it is beyond doubt that Michael Lowry imparted substantive information to Mr O'Brien, which was of significant value and assistance to him in securing the licence.

This final report from the Moriarty Tribunal is in two volumes and runs to more than 2,300 pages.

The Tribunal finds Mr Lowry's financial arrangements showed a want of transparency and a disposition to declare and discharge his tax liabilities far below what could be expected from a holder of public office.

It found covert arrangements were devised by Mr Ben Dunne and Mr Lowry to remunerate Mr Lowry in a manner that would enable him to evade tax.

The Tribunal compares Mr Lowry to disgraced former Taoiseach Charles Haughey, saying Mr Lowry engaged in "venal abuse of office" and that the brazen refusal of him to acknowledge his financial arrangements with Denis O'Brien and Ben Dunne has cast a further shadow over this country's public life.

Mr Justice Michael Moriarty says he is satisfied that payments and other benefits were furnished by and on behalf of Denis O'Brien to Michael Lowry and that these were demonstrably referable to the acts and conduct of Mr Lowry during the mobile licence competition.

Among the words used by the tribunal to describe Mr Lowry's actions in influencing the awarding of the mobile phone licence were "disgraceful" and "insidious".