The former CEO of ESAT, Barry Maloney, has pulled out of the Global Irish Economic Forum in Dublin this weekend because businessman Denis O'Brien is attending.
Mr Maloney, now a partner with the investment company Balderton Capital in London, had initially indicated he would attend the event which is a follow-up to the first conference in Farmleigh two years.
However, he then wrote to the Taoiseach and Tánaiste informing them that he could not attend the event because Mr O'Brien would be a participant, despite the criticisms of him made in the final report from the Moriarty Tribunal.
Barry Maloney attended the 2009 forum in Farmleigh, and also joined the Global Irish Network of internationally-based influential Irish-linked individuals which was set up following that event.
When contacted by RTE News, Mr Maloney said he had no comment to make on his decision not to attend the forum.
The invite list to the Global Irish Economic Forum was drawn up by the Department of Foreign Affairs, this was sent to the Department of An Taoiseach which then issued the invitations.
However, a spokesperson for the Department of Foreign Affairs described the Taoiseach as "the host" of the event, while another Government spokesperson said the Taoiseach had full knowledge of the invitation list.
The final report of the Moriarty Tribunal was published on March 22 of this year, and the Government announced that it would hold a second forum at the beginning of May and subsequently issued invitations.
During a Dáil debate on the final Moriarty Tribunal, Taoiseach Enda Kenny promised the report would be acted upon, and that the new Government would show that they could "not be bought, cheapened or exploited by politicians, banks and businesses...whoever they might be".
The Moriarty Tribunal found that Michael Lowry "secured the winning" of the 1995 mobile licence for Denis O'Brien. It also found that Denis O'Brien made two payments to Deputy Lowry in 1996 and 1999 totalling 500,000 Irish punts, and supported a loan of £420,000 sterling given to Lowry in 1999.
