O'Brien's accountant faces accusations

Denis O'Brien's accountant has denied that he got involved in business deals with Michael Lowry because of a failed previous attempt to pass money to the former Minister. John Coughlan SC for the Moriarty Tribunal put it to Aidan Phelan that he only got involved in a series of property transactions as a way of providing financial assistance to Michael Lowry.

Mr Coughlan suggested to Mr Phelan that, back in 1996, money intended for the then Minister for Communications got stuck with an intermediary. He put it to Mr Phelan that, what Denis O'Brien says was a legitimate house purchase in Spain, was in fact a failed attempt to give money to Mr Lowry. When that attempt fell through, as John Coughlan put it, "something had to be done". He suggested that paperwork supporting the alleged house purchase was sorted out, but Michael Lowry still needed assistance.

Tribunal lawyers claimed that this was the reason why Aidan Phelan got involved in business deals with Mr Lowry, who had left the Government in disgrace by that stage. Mr Phelan rejected all these claims, answering "it doesn't look like that to me" to each suggestion.

In a separate development, the British solicitor who dealt with controversial land deals linking Denis O'Brien and Michael Lowry has refused to attend the Moriarty Tribunal. Christopher Vaughan wrote to the Tribunal this morning to say that he will not attend. Aidan Phelan, Mr O'Brien's close associate said: " We are anxious that he attend and have urged him to". Mr Vaughan could provide crucial evidence on the Cheadle land deal at the centre of the Tribunal's inquiries.