Solicitors for the businessman Mr Denis O'Brien have called on two Socialist Workers Party members to "immediately withdraw" a press release issued today.
William Fry Solicitors - in a letter seen by ireland.com- called upon Mr Richard Boyd-Barrett and Ms Brid Smith to withdraw the release, alleging it defames Mr O'Brien.
The solicitors indicated they wanted its immediate withdrawal to prevent its causing further damage to Mr O'Brien's "good name".
Mr Boyd-Barrett and Ms Smith, who chair the anti-bin tax campaigns in Dún Laoghaire Rathdown and Ballyfermot respectively, issued the press release to alert the media to an anti-bin charges protest they were staging outside the Moriarty tribunal in Dublin Castle today.
Speaking to ireland.com, Mr Boyd Barrett said that he would not be withdrawing the press release.
Mr O'Brien is giving evidence to the tribunal today regarding the awarding of the State's second mobile phone licence in 1996 to his company, Esat Digifone, by the former minister for communications, Mr Michael Lowry, following a competition.
Mr O'Brien has already spent 10 days in the tribunal witness box. He gave evidence in June 2001, October 2001 and July 2002. He has given testimony concerning transactions which involved Mr Lowry and his former accountant, Mr Aidan Phelan. The transactions took place in the late 1990s. Mr O'Brien said he had no knowledge of them.
He has also given evidence concerning financial transactions involving him and the late Mr David Austin, a former Smurfit executive, friend of Mr O'Brien and his family, and friend of Mr Lowry.