Public is entitled to be informed now

The Moriarty Tribunal began sitting publicly yesterday for the first time since last October. It spent the better part of a year investigating property deals in Britain involving the former Minister for Transport, Energy and Communications, Michael Lowry, and Denis O'Brien.

These were significant because of the overlapping relationships in deals involving both men, especially in view of the awarding of the second mobile telephone licence to Esat Digifone.

The tribunal lawyers believe that the property deals were a means of getting money to Mr Lowry, after