Denis O'Brien's accountant has told the Moriarty Tribunal that it did not occur to him to tell Esat about a payment from Denis O'Brien to the late David Austin. Esat was investigating what they thought were all of Denis O'Brien's relevant bank accounts to see if there was any substance in a suggestion that Mr O'Brien had paid money to Michael Lowry.
Although Mr O'Brien's accountant and business advisor, Aidan Phelan, was asked if there were any other accounts they should look at, he never told them about one offshore account which Denis O'Brien had used.
The account was in Aidan Phelan's name and it gave an address in Cape Cod. In July of 1996, Denis O'Brien used this account to pass £150,000 to David Austin. David Austin transferred the bulk of that money into a Michael Lowry offshore account a few months later.
Mr Phelan said that when Esat asked him about this matter he did not remember this account. He knew that Denis O'Brien had paid £150,000 to David Austin - according to Mr Phelan and Denis O'Brien this was for the purchase of a house in Spain - but he said that it did not seem significant and it did not occur to him to tell Esat Telecom. Lawyers for the Tribunal told Mr Phelan that his explanation sounded "extremely hollow".
Earlier, Mr Phelan said that he could not explain notes of a conversation he had with a solicitor about a $50,000 donation. He was asked at the Moriarty Tribunal today about his knowledge of the donation from Esat Digifone to Fine Gael. Mr Phelan was also asked about his role in getting confirmation from David Austin, the man who had acted as conduit for the payment, that the money had actually gone to Fine Gael.
Mr Phelan appears to have been quoted in the notes as saying "the ugly bits are never talked about" and that Mr Austin collects money always in an offshore account. Mr Phelan told the Tribunal that Mr Austin "never discussed politics or political fundraising with me". He explained that Mr Austin lived in France at the time and was therefore "offshore". He went on to say that other aspects of the note meant nothing to him.
Mr Phelan was centrally involved in a number of transactions, which linked Mr O'Brien to the former Minister Michael Lowry. He has described his relationship with Mr O'Brien as "very close". He has also explained how he took care of Mr O'Brien's financial affairs from 1997 until late 1999.
