FG man arranged O'Brien's meetings with ministers

The businessman Mr Denis O'Brien met two former Fine Gael ministers at Government Buildings in May 1995 as part of a campaign to "raise his profile" within the party, the Moriarty tribunal heard.

Mr John Coughlan SC, for the tribunal, said that Mr O'Brien's diary referred to two separate meetings on the evening of May 17th 1995 with Mr Enda Kenny, former minister for tourism and trade and current Fine Gael leader, and Mr Richard Bruton, former minister for enterprise and employment and current deputy leader of the party.

The meetings were arranged by a Fine Gael activist, Mr Dan Egan, who told the tribunal that he had been approached in 1995 by a former Fine Gael minister, the late Mr Jim Mitchell, to see whether he [Mr Egan\] would act as "adviser consultant" to Mr O'Brien.

In his professional capacity, Mr Mitchell had acted as a consultant for East Digifone, the company in which Mr O'Brien had a major financial interest.

Mr Coughlan said: "Mr Egan understands that Mr O'Brien wished to raise his general profile, including his profile with the Fine Gael party."

Mr Egan had an initial meeting with Mr O'Brien to discuss what was required, as well as the terms and conditions of engagement. Having agreed to act as consultant, he had advised Mr O'Brien that he should attend Fine Gael fund-raising events, at which he could meet ministers in an informal setting.

Mr Egan said he also arranged the two meetings with Mr Kenny and Mr Bruton, the purpose of which, he told the tribunal, was to enable Mr O'Brien to express his interest in the second mobile phone licence and outline his credentials to ministers of commercial departments.

Mr Egan said that the meeting with Mr Kenny took place at Government Buildings. While there, Mr Egan met Mr Bruton and asked him to meet Mr O'Brien. Although "somewhat reluctant", Mr Bruton had agreed to do so.

Mr Egan said he may also have discussed Esat Digifone with Mr Phil Hogan TD and that Mr Hogan may have assisted in arranging the meeting between Mr O'Brien and Mr Kenny.

However, Mr Coughlan said Mr Hogan had informed the tribunal that he did not have any involvement in arranging such a meeting.

Mr Kenny has told the tribunal he has no recollection of meeting Mr O'Brien, but he did have a record of meeting Mr Egan on the evening in question. Also, Mr Kenny said that, as a member of the government, he was aware of the competition for the second mobile licence, but he had no involvement in it, as it was the responsibility of another department.

Mr Bruton told the tribunal he had no recollection of any meeting with Mr O'Brien, although his diary did have an entry for "Denis O'Brien 7.30 p.m." on May 17th 1995. He [Mr Bruton\] had been a member of a cabinet committee set up in February 1995 to consider the mobile phone licence competition, but apart from that he had no involvement in the competition.

Mr Egan told the tribunal that he attended neither meeting.

Mr Egan was head of Young Fine Gael between 1978 and 1981 and worked at Fine Gael headquarters and as a special adviser to Mr John Bruton when the latter was minister for finance. However, Mr Egan told the tribunal that he had never been involved in any aspect of Fine Gael fund-raising.