Counsel for the Moriarty tribunal complained this afternoon it was "deprived" of an opportunity to investigate thoroughly controversial financial dealings involving former Fine Gael minister Mr Michael Lowry.
In his opening statement Mr John Coughlan SC said the tribunal intended to examine through witness testimony how £147,000 came to arrive in an off-shore account held by Mr Lowry in July 1996 while he was still a minister.
It also intended to inquire into the possible involvement of Mr Denis O'Brien in a $50,000 donation by Norwegian communications company Telenor to the Fine Gael party in 1995, he said.
Mr Coughlan said the tribunal's work could have been greatly helped had it the opportunity to question the late Mr David Austin, a former Fine Gael party trustee and friend of Mr Lowry, who it is alleged was involved in the £147,000 transaction.
Mr Austin died in November 1998, however, and as details relating to the matter had not been made available to the tribunal until April this year Mr Coughlan said the tribunal had been deprived of necessary information.
But Mr Coughlan reminded the tribunal it would be wrong to draw conclusions based on his opening statement which he said would be tested in the public domain via witness testimony.