Unsuccessful bidders for the mobile license in 1995 will be allowed to take further action against O'Brien and the state

[PaddyJoe]

Was DOB behind Bill Shipsey and Amnesty?

Looks like a lot of international companies are sizing the place up since Hilary's visit late last year; including Digicel:

One group of expatriates residing at the Strand is notably missing from the bar scene: the representatives from Digicel, a cell phone company that owns networks in 28 emerging markets, including Haiti and Papua New Guinea, and has been quietly angling for a license in Myanmar. Digicel’s founder and chairman, Denis O’Brien, a well-known Irish entrepreneur and friend of Bono, first came to Myanmar in early 2010, back in the days when Aung San Suu Kyi was still shut in and the junta was jailing people for dissent. Since then, up to a dozen Digicel officials have been staying at the luxury hotel and working out of an unmarked office in Yangon’s Sakura Tower. They’re reportedly providing technical assistance to MPT and even sponsoring a local soccer team—an attempt, says a Yangon-based former consultant to the company, to get into the same room with regime cronies and government officials.

http://www.businessweek.com/printer/...ce-for-rangoon

[musashi]

Ganley about to talk to Morning Ireland on this.

[homer]

Let us not assume that

1. All that went before the tribunal can be proved in court

2. the there will be a finding on all counts for the plaintiffs

3. that if damages are being awarded that there will be full consequential damages - might just be the amount spent on the licence application.

4. the only certainty about litigation is that it is uncertain, and expensive

[Captain Con O'Sullivan]

Anyone care to bet that the people screwed over in that deal will end up collecting from the state who will generously offer to pay Denis's bill for him and then lo, and behold, Denis turns up mournfully pulling at his empty pockets and singing 'ochone, ochone, shur I am but a poor man under Irish law'....

I can hear the conversation now at the 17th tee- "don't worry, Den, the gobshytes have been well trained to pay this kind of bill now. Off you go back to Haiti helping them poor souls to understand the privatisation of telecoms like you did in Ireland."

[Stanley 2]

Good summary of O'Brien's career to date and a bit on the future

http://www.irishcentral.com/story/ro...149038765.html


Lowry has had piles of shlte heaped on him and with O'Brien now installed as Ireland's richest oligarch, non-resident style, Lowry will expect favours in spades along with his mate, Hogan, this pair seem to be cheeks of the same arse with O'Brien providing the skidmarks and the funds.

Will Kenny embrace Lowry, might well if Dinny tells him to.

[Kev Bar]

Good summary of O'Brien's career to date and a bit on the future

http://www.irishcentral.com/story/ro...149038765.html


Lowry has had piles of shlte heaped on him and with O'Brien now installed as Ireland's richest oligarch, non-resident style, Lowry will expect favours in spades along with his mate, Hogan, this pair seem to be cheeks of the same arse with O'Brien providing the skidmarks and the funds.

Will Kenny embrace Lowry, might well if Dinny tells him to.

That's a good piece and the sort of thing we are sorely lacking.

[Stanley 2]

In advance of Court proceedings, personally think the Govt should reverse DOB's tax status and make him provide enough funds or security to the Court or somewhere else deemed with suitable access in the event the State loses and they have to look to DOB for payment.

[PaddyJoe]

Friday's IT has a closer look at Ganley's role in the case:

Ganley’s 15 per cent involvement in Cellstar was by way of an Irish company, GCI Ltd, which was dissolved in September 2003.

In 2007, Ganley’s solicitors agreed it could not be a party to the licence proceedings. Another of his companies, UK company Ganley International Ltd, was also at one stage a party to the proceedings, on the basis it was engaged to provide assistance and advice to Cellstar. Ganley has also agreed this entity can be dismissed as a plaintiff.

That leaves him personally. He bases his involvement on a February 1997 assignment by GCI (his company) to him, of the company’s interest in Cellstar’s bid and any claim that might arise.

It is understood the details of this assignment and the issue of what consideration was paid for it are likely to form part of any hearing.

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/...320450483.html

[PaddyJoe]

The judgements referred to in the OP were published today. It could get very interesting for DOB and Lowry:
http://www.supremecourt.ie/Judgments...Expand=1&Seq=1

[DCon]

The judgements referred to in the OP were published today. It could get very interesting for DOB and Lowry:
http://www.supremecourt.ie/Judgments...Expand=1&Seq=1

Could do indeed

Will Kenny distance himself from his boss Hogan if things get hairy?

Who in FG knew what and when, if corruption is proven?

[DCon]

The judgements referred to in the OP were published today. It could get very interesting for DOB and Lowry:
http://www.supremecourt.ie/Judgments...Expand=1&Seq=1

Dinny, Mikey, Ireland and the AG listed

Comcast International Incorporated, Declan Ganley,

Ganley International Limited and GCI Limited
Plaintiffs/Appellants
and

The Minister for Public Enterprise, Michael Lowry,

Esat Telecommunications Limited, Denis O'Brien,

Ireland and the Attorney General

[DCon]

More from RTE

Mr Justice Adrian Hardiman said the integrity and reputation of Ireland, as well as the rights of the consortia, requires trial of their claims of "covert, devious and concealed" corruption despite the State's opposition to any such trial.

Businessman Declan Ganley's Comcast International Holdings Incorporated and Persona Digital Telephony Ltd had initiated separate actions in 2001 challenging the licence award and claiming multi-million euro in damages.

Comcast's action is against the former Minister for Public Enterprise, Michael Lowry, Esat Telecom, Denis O'Brien, Ireland and the Attorney General while Persona's is against the former Minister for Public Enterprise, Ireland and the Attorney General.

Mr Justice Adrian Hardiman said: "Such things, if true, would be utterly disgraceful, destructive of the reputation of both the briber and the person bribed."

Corruption of this sort, if proved, would be both a civil wrong and a criminal offence, "not to mention a commercial and political disgrace of the highest order", he said.

"It would disgrace the Nation and the State."

http://www.rte.ie/news/2012/1017/esa...one-court.html

[PaddyJoe]

Fine piece of analysis by Elaine Byrne in the Sindo:

The very integrity of the State is at stake as the groundbreaking mobile licence dispute moves on, writes Elaine Byrne

'THIS case is absolutely uni-que, without pre-cedent or parallel in the 90-year history of the State. . . There has never been anything like it."

Mr Justice Adrian Hardiman went on to say that if the corruption alleged by the two unsuccessful bidders for the State's second mobile phone licence in 1996 were proven, "it would disgrace the nation and the State".

http://www.independent.ie/opinion/an...e-3266219.html

[ang]

Fine piece of analysis by Elaine Byrne in the Sindo:

http://www.independent.ie/opinion/an...e-3266219.html

That's the Justice Hardiman who thought the ESM should go to referendum but the others disagreed

https://docs.google.com/file/d/0Bz5K.../preview?pli=1

[PaddyJoe]

Aine Coffey in the ST claims that Comcast is preparing to back a legal action with the Galway business man Declan Ganley to seek compensation related to the 1995 mobile phone license competition won by Denis O'Brien.
Comcast did not respond to requests for comment and Ganley refused to comment, according to Coffey.
Meanwhile Persona is exploring whether a High Court or Commercial Court action is the appropriate course of action.