Former tánaiste Mr Dick Spring did not find any difficulty with the awarding of the State's second mobile phone licence to Esat Digifone, he told the Moriarty tribunal today.
He said he was satisfied with the integrity of the civil servants overseeing the award and that he expected those in charge to ensure that the rules of the competition were adhered to.
The Labour Party leader during the Rainbow coalition, Mr Spring was a member of the Cabinet sub-committee overseeing the competition.
The results of the competition were shown to the sub-committee and indicated that Esat Digifone was "the clear winner", Mr Spring said. He then advised that the information be made known as soon as possible otherwise it would leaked.
There has been some controversy over financier, Mr Dermot Desmond's share in the winning consortium, which only became known after the award was made. Mr Spring said he was not aware of Mr Desmond's interest in Esat Digifone, chaired by Mr Denis O'Brien.
He also said the extension of the original deadline for submission of applications was extended because of pressure from the EU. He said the Department of Communications had then sought a delay and it appeared to be a reasonable request.