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THE MORIARTY TRIBUNAL is set to finally conclude early next year after costing the taxpayer at least €65.5 million.
The tribunal which looked into the financial affairs of, among others, Charles Haughey and Michael Lowry, has continued to cost the State money, even after the publication of the final report in 2011.
Since 2017, it has cost an additional €10 million through various legal fees.
Officially called the Tribunal of Inquiry into certain Payments to Politicians and Related Matters, it took 14 years to find that former Fine Gael minister Michael Lowry had an “insidious and pervasive” influence over the awarding of Ireland’s second mobile phone licence in the 1990s to Denis O’Brien’s Esat Digifone company.
Lowry is currently still a sitting TD for Tipperary. He rejects the findings of the Tribunal, as does O’Brien.
Speaking to the Oireachtas Finance Committee in February 2017, then-Taoiseach Enda Kenny provided a brekadown of the €54 million that had been spent to date.
He said that €35.58 million had been spent on legal fees; €9.764 million had been spent on administration; €6.84 million was spent on third party costs; and €2.55 million was spent on other payments.
In response to a parliamentary question late this year, Taoiseach Micheál Martin said the Tribunal’s work was nearly finished.
He said: “Following publication of that Report, the Tribunal’s team was substantially reduced and a small legal and administrative staff remains in place.
The determination by the Court of Appeal in relation to one of the last remaining sets of legal proceedings taken against the Tribunal took place in 2018. Following the judgement in those proceedings it has been necessary for the Tribunal to give further consideration to certain aspects of the very few remaining applications for costs which the Sole Member is undertaking at present.
The Tribunal continues with wind down and deconstruction, arrangements have been made for proper storage and archiving of files. This process is ongoing at present and a significant portion of this aspect has been concluded in recent months. It is expected that all matters concerning those remaining costs applications will be concluded by early next year.
The final bill for the Moriarty Tribunal is among the highest spent on such an inquiry in the history of the State, but is far less than the €136 million that the Mahon Tribunal has cost to date. The final bill for the Mahon Tribunal is expected to reach €140 million.
The Disclosures Tribunal, which looked into protected disclosures made by Garda Sergeant Maurice McCabe, has cost the State €8.2 million to date.
That Tribunal will continue its work into the new year as it continues to look into the final term of reference – protected disclosures by gardaí prior to February 2016 alleging wrongdoing within An Garda Síochána where the garda was subsequently targeted or discredited with the knowledge of senior members of the gardaí.
What a waste of money
@Jason H: agreed but I do think there needs to be a tribunal for the tribunal shocking waste of money into the status quo!
Anybody face jail ?
Any moneys retrieved ?
Banana republic ?
@Keith Murray: DOB was a wealthy millionaire 25 years ago, now he’s a multibillionaire and wouldn’t have got there had he not rewarded the aforementioned former FG minister’s collusion. I’m not one for seeking revenge but there are people in prison for robbing groceries yet these thieves in suits get away with grand larceny.
@Frank Cauldhame: he would have been an accountant, moving between semi states and private companies. What was built in the back of corruption will never be forgotten, and tainted every other “great business decision” made afterwards. That taint had followed through the Nordic shafting, the Caribbean adventure, the papea new guinea cannibal episodes, up until the stock market non-event. This needs media to fill the role when there is a gap in the judiciary, and all have failed. At our cost.
And – what the hell, Tipperary?
@Jason H: wait for season 2! It gets better
Not spending money is more wasteful @Jason H:
@James Ward: Free hurlies for everyone. Gis a vote.
@Jason H: Agreed, even worse; any evidence collected cannot be used in a criminal investigation. If the guards or the DPP wanted to investigate any of the criminal activity identified by a tribunal they have to conduct a separate investigation.
Hopefully the DPP won’t shred any evidence this time and the guards will have the resources to investigate after the finish making sure Penny’s aren’t selling children’s clothes during a lockdown.
@Mick Andrews: He still tops the poll..
@James Ward: An accountancy firm based in Clonskeagh handled a lot of the “paperwork”, not sure if they are still based there or exist under the same name
Legal gravy train never stops
@john s: wait till we add in the price of the other inquiries into Denis o brien dealings! IBRC and Siteserv are just two. And still he gets government contracts. Anyone would think fine gael are rewarding their sugar Daddy!
@john s: I should have tried to be a solicitor!
@Berkieahern3: Siteserv, bought for €45 million and got over €100 million of Anglo debt wiped off immediately. A year later awarded the Irish Water contract to install water meters nation wide, despite better offers for the tax payer being on the table. Shock horror, Actavo (Siteserv) is involved in the National Broadband Plan once again. Another one that went under the radar, the merger between Esso and Topaz. Merger passed by the CCPC in 2015 which should have never ever happened and then coincidentally, sold the following year to Circle K with a huge mark up. Drive from Dublin City centre to Wicklow town on the N11 and you will see a complete monopoly with a single exception. Highest fuel prices in the country on this corridor. Every day, the average person pays for corruption.
@The Upside-down Triangle: more money being a Corrupt politician. Look at Michael Lowry. Still Leo varadkers right hand man.
Plenty of pockets lined at the expense of the taxpayer, it’s the FF/FG way. What a great corrupt little country we live in. At least in some countries corruption is there for everyone, not just a select few di¢ks at the top.
@Brian Stafford: wait for the NAMA tribunal
Over €200 million euro on these investigations and still no body held to account. No surprise there but Maurice Mcabe deserves something.
€65 million??!!!! What a disgusting abuse of taxpayers money. I understand that that an inquiry was required but surely this could have been wrapped up years ago saving millions. A change in legislation to impose harsh custodial sentences for perjury would make a radical change to the duration of these circuses.
Great country , two suit wearing Conmen and not as much as slap on the wrist!!
These tribunals are a complete waste of time and money. The conclude what we all know and no one ever faces any consequences.
Corruption on top of corruption on top of corruption.
Some cute pox of a kip Ireland there’s no doubt about it.
The cost destroys the benefits. Wealthy politicians and businessmen skip between legal loopholes with the help of clever lawyers and we foot the legal bills.
And i was thinking about studying law back in the day. Anyway front and back windows €30 have me own shammy.
It was haughey and lowry who cost us money, not the tribunal. We absolutely need to clamp down on coruption. Corruption screws everything up for everyone.
The timing is fantastic on a day we have a coronavirus count of nearly 1300 in
@Vinny O Brien: well done vinny i came on here because no covid mentioned in the article. Ye just had to go and ruin it didn’t ye.
They have a very sophisticated electorate in North Tipperary apparently.
@Pat O’Leary: did tipp elect Bertie, Ivor calleley, CJH and the Healy raes? We have a parish pump political system in a country with the population of Manchester! There should be no local candidates and anyone should be able to vote for any candidate to represent the country and not their little fiefdom.
Solicitors in this country are creaming it.
How in Ainm Dé is that still going?
This is why the shinners will walk in the next election.
For any budding criminals out there don’t buy a gold chain and trainers buy a suit and tie. You will never see a days jail time no matter how often your caught.
Trump makes this gang look like altar boys
Its the legals who seem to have robbed the state. The 2nd licence would have been granted anyway, so who cares.
All a tribunal does is show the public that politicians and millionaires can be officially shown to have broken the law and face no consequences at all.
The people who set it up should be jailed pretending that it was of some service to the state,more money siphonage from the white collar criminals
65%+ pay in legal fees! Taxpayers monies transferred to 1%ers who were supposed to expose the odious financial shenanigans of other 1% & 0.1%ers. Identifying Winners & Losers is pretty obvious..The Large Majority of Irish People were definitely the Losers.
Make ye sick, country is F UP
Is there a god
@Stasia Morley: Yes, it’s called money.
I imagine Many a foreign holiday and sporty Mercedes was bought out of the money well spent lads for the rest cough up this party’s over I’m going home.
What a crock of horse manure
@Niall Gannon: Dont compare the above to horse manure as it is ‘a positive’ as a good fertiliser for plants and flowers.
Any company related to Dinny should be precluded from tendering for Gov contracts
Kleptocracy- defines us.
Legal Eagles cash cow!! Dragged out and out to get every penny going, totally incompetence and corrupt. So much time has been wasted. What will be done in the end? Nothing!
The Irish trump. Lock him up.
Trump makes this gang look like choir boys
Trying to figure out the links between business and Irish politicians and how they interact and get influenced, I’m surprised it cost so little .
Also not one bit surprised noone can face prosecution based on evidence arising from this particular €65 million of taxpayers money being spent, and the monies for all the other ‘tribunals’.
Dinny and Lowry should be behind bars, make an example of these 2 criminals and they will soon talk, selling out all their buddies in return for better sentences, the house of cards would collapse
But this is Ireland, we don’t do justice against the elite here
Money for the Boys
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