The Moriarty Tribunal is trying to find out why it took five years to sort out the paperwork on a house sale to Denis O'Brien. The woman who looked after most of it cannot explain why it took so long. The transaction involved the sale of a £147,000 Spanish property from the late David Austin to Denis O'Brien.
The sale involved several offshore companies, trusts and a large amount of paperwork. The Tribunal is examining the sale, as the same money ended up in a secret offshore account held by Michael Lowry.
David Austin was paid for the house in 1996 but the final documents were not signed until May 2001. Helen Malone, who assisted Mr O'Brien's accountant on this, could not explain the large gap.
Tribunal lawyers said Mr O'Brien could not establish a paper trail in connection with this sale until May 2001, the month before he appeared at the inquiry.
