Businessman Denis O'Brien has announced that he is taking the Moriarty Tribunal to the European Court of Human Rights over its inquiry into the awarding of the second Irish mobile phone licence.
In a statement to the tribunal today, Mr O'Brien claimed that the inquiry was biased against him and relied on 'hearsay, rumour and anonymous letters'.
Mr O'Brien read out a two-hour statement this morning, which he described as his final right of reply. He said it would be his last appearance at the tribunal.
In the statement, Mr O'Brien attacked the inquiry, the courts, sections of the media, politicians and rival bidders for the second mobile licence.
He said the Moriarty Tribunal has already cost him €9m in legal fees and the behaviour of its legal team could lead to another tribunal.
Mr O'Brien added that the tribunal was set up in 1997 to inquire into matters of urgent public importance, but has still not produced a final report ten years later.
He said both the High Court and Supreme Court had also failed to protect his rights by rejecting his challenge to the tribunal.
And Mr O'Brien said it was grossly unfair that the High Court judges adjudicated on Mr Justice Moriarty, who is one of their colleagues.
He said he has lodged a complaint to the European Court of Human Rights.
He ended his statement by saying that Esat Digifone won the mobile phone licence fairly in 1996 and he denied ever paying any bribe to then Minister Michael Lowry.
