The Irish government is taking steps to defend a court action against the contentious award of a mobile phone license to businessman Denis O’Brien almost 30 years ago. In a move demonstrating the continued problems surrounding the 1995 contest, current and former officials in as many as seven departments have been directed to “identify and preserve” old diaries and files from that era. This includes any documents between 1990 and 2002 regarding either the license won by O’Brien’s Esat Digifone company, or the Moriarty tribunal, which made damning findings regarding the license award in 2011. Despite the tribunal’s findings, the government has pledged to vigorously defend proceedings brought by unsuccessful bidder Declan Ganley and co-litigants, including Comcast International Holdings. Within the next three weeks, the government must comply with an “onerous and extensive” order for the discovery of documents.
