It is alleged that as a result of benefits extended to Michael Lowry by Denis O'Brien that Esat Digifone was given an unfair advantage in the procurement of a mobile phone operator's licence. The Moriarty Tribunal found evidence of collusion between Lowry and O'Brien: "There are three significant findings which are largely beyond dispute. They are: * Denis O’Brien gave substantial sums of

money Money is any item or verifiable record that is generally accepted as payment for goods and services and repayment of debts, such as taxes, in a particular country or socio-economic context. The primary functions which distinguish money are: m ...

to Fine Gael in order to make friends with people in the party. This happened at a time when Fine Gael was in government and O’Brien was seeking a

government A government is the system or group of people governing an organized community, generally a State (polity), state. In the case of its broad associative definition, government normally consists of legislature, executive (government), execu ...

decision in his favour. * Michael Lowry sought to be involved, to a greater or lesser degree, in the licensing process, seeking information about it on a number of occasions * Denis O’Brien, or persons close to him, subsequently sought to give large amounts of money to Michael Lowry."

References

{{Reflist Political scandals in the Republic of Ireland Michael Lowry