Sir, – It was suggested by Denis O'Brien in The Irish Times(Opinion, November 15th) that the Moriarty report was based on opinions not on evidence. Let it be clearly stated that this report was based upon perhaps the most comprehensive and forensic inquiry ever carried out in this State with the benefit of 371 days of public sworn evidence.
The report clearly found that Minister Lowry had penetrated the process and delivered the licence to Mr O’Brien. It further found that the rules of judging the process had not been followed.
To date Mr O'Brien has failed to launch a legal challenge to the tribunal report and appears to be intent on attempting to undermine the report in the media. However it is clear that the public has a different view. In a survey published in the Sunday Independenton March 27th, 2011, 94 per cent did not believe Mr Lowry, 81 per cent agreed with the findings of Judge Moriarty, 87 per cent believed Mr. O'Brien gave money to Minister Lowry and 89 per cent were of the view that Minister Lowry helped Mr O'Brien secure the licence. We remain optimistic that the 91 per cent of the public who appeared to believe that the Government would do nothing about it will be proven wrong.
The Irish Independentreported on October 4th, 2011 that the Garda Commissioner was expected to consult with the Director of Public Prosecutions before deciding if there would be a criminal investigation in the wake of the Moriarty tribunal report. We await the outcome of this consultation. – Yours, etc,