OPPOSITION LEADERS have urged the Taoiseach to join them in an all-party response to the suggestion by the chairman of the Moriarty tribunal that his final report might be broken into two sections.
Fine Gael leader Enda Kenny and Labour Party leader Eamon Gilmore indicated they are not enthusiastic about the proposal that one section of the report be issued shortly and the other postponed to a later date.
In a letter to the Oireachtas which was circulated to the leaders of the Dáil parties yesterday, Mr Justice Michael Moriarty said he was considering publishing a portion of the final report as a separate volume. A report on the “money trail” involving former minister Michael Lowry would be published first with the investigation into the awarding of the first mobile phone licence at a later stage. “This was not a course that I had countenanced at an earlier stage of the tribunal’s work but in the context of an element of further delay I believe that it may have much to recommend it,” he said in his letter.
Mr Lowry said last night he believed there was a political consensus for Mr Justice Moriarty to finish his work and issue one final report. “The judge says in his letter that he has 90 per cent of the work completed on the so called money trail and 80 per cent done on the phone licence so he should just get on with it and finish the report.”
Mr Kenny welcomed the indication by Mr Justice Moriarty that his work was nearing completion. He repeated a suggestion he made in the Dáil earlier yesterday that the party leaders should meet to discuss and agree a response to the specifics of the judge’s letter.
Mr Gilmore agreed with the suggestion that the party leaders should discuss the contents of the judge’s letter.
Mr Gilmore said his party’s principal concern is that any decision ought not contribute to further delay or obstruction in bringing the work of the tribunal to finality.
“It is my view that the public interest will now best be served by ensuring that the tribunal is brought to a conclusion . . . and a final report published at the earliest possible date,” he said.
Taoiseach Brian Cowen told the Dáil the letter would be considered and discussed in due course.
Denis O’Brien, whose company was awarded the second mobile phone licence in 1987, last night criticised the proposal. “The reason for this is that the tribunal’s preferred theories in relation to the licence process lie in tatters having been torn apart in recent months,” he said.
“However, in their letter to the Dáil . . . the Moriarty tribunal did not address the question of the ‘significant errors’ made by the tribunal itself in relation to its inquiries into the licence process.”
He said the tribunal should call whatever witnesses are required, publish a final report and be done with it.