Denis O'Brien and Michael Lowry 'corrupt relationship': Moriarty Tribunal

[Desperate Dan]

Wouldn't you think obrien's legal people would take the shovel off him.
He is a whinging little crawler. His name being in the gutter is better than him being in jail its really hurting the scumbag.

[Ringsend Charlie]

O'Brien described Jerry Healy SC as "a lightweight senior counsel"

I think we'll hear more as a result of this interview.

Is he not. A bad winter would carry him.

[cul de sac]

O'Brien and Lowry really believe character assassination and blanket dismissal of Moriarty's findings will be enough to see them through. If they get away with it, we'll be back to the old way of doing things in Ireland.

As a defence it's extraordinary in its brazenness. Remember Niall Fitzgerald a Limerick man and former Chairman of Lever Brothers believed that "he did not feel that he could have pursued a business career in Ireland without compromising his personal principles" Article Irish Times by Fintan O'Toole 03/03/10. In other words greasing the wheels helps to get things done in this country as Lowry seems to have done according to Moriarty.

Calling in to question the integrity of the High Court via Moriarty should generate an opposite and equal reaction. They should ready the book and throw it at them until it sticks. O'Brien isn't fooling me with his incredible daisy chain of alternative explanations nor is Lowry. North Tipp disgraced itself this last night with that welcome for Lowry. Shame on you....

[Libero]

"I welcome the decision of An Taoiseach, Enda Kenny T.D., to forward the Moriarty tribunal's report to the Office of the DPP. I have no doubt whatsoever that when this report is reviewed by a proper legal authority with appropriate accountability, that none of the expressions of opinion which form the basis of the tribunal's report will withstand any objective scrutiny.

The report of the Moriarty tribunal is based solely on "opinions", which find no basis in evidence, fact and law. This referral by An Taoiseach is most welcome as I believe the desperately-flawed nature and troubling modus operandi of the Moriarty tribunal will be quickly laid bare when subjected to an independent examination by a proper authority. The sooner that this is done, the better.

The DPP will follow proper legal rules and procedures and will reach views based only on the correct application of standards of proof based on actual evidence presented. The Office of the DPP (like any proper legal authority) will not concern itself with self-serving supposition, hearsay, rumour and biased opinion.
These features are the hallmarks of the Moriarty tribunal. I am confident that the evidence and actual established facts are what will underpin the work of the DPP, as would be the case with the work of any other independent and proper legal authority.

It is a matter of record that every single person who was involved in conducting the licence evaluation process gave unequivocal evidence that the process was not interfered with by Michael Lowry and that Esat Digifone won the licence on merit alone."

I see O'Brien is following the strategy of spinning to the masses, even if it requires using a range of untruths and misleading statements that lose him any sympathy from those who know enough to know he's talking sh1te.
We're in a small minority, I guess.

But he's sailing close to the wind. Even the slowest of learners must have some idea that it's not the function of the DPP to pass judgment on a Tribunal Report and that a decision not to prosecute does not equal a rejection by the DPP of the Tribunal's work, no matter how much DOB will insist otherwise. And you don't need a legal degree to know it's utter horsesh1te to make out that a Tribunal of Inquiry should conduct itself according to the standard of proof (beyond reasonable doubt) that applies to criminal trials.

As for the last paragraph of that statement, it's very carefully worded not to include ESAT staff who joined after the licence was won, and who did give evidence that O'Brien behaved improperly with Lowry: Moriarty Tribunal