Read more: Irish corruption tribunal: we were wronged and will have to pay

Former Minister of State Michael Lowry has said that the Moriarty report, which was published yesterday, is "factually wrong and deliberately misleading".

The report found that Lowry assisted media mogul Denis O’Brien in securing a lucrative government contract for the telecommunications network East Digifone in 1996.

The tribunal’s second and concluding report found that beyond doubt, the then Minister for transport, energy and communications gave “substantive information to Denis O'Brien, of significant value and assistance to him in securing the [mobile] licence”.

The report goes onto say Lowry displayed "an appreciable interest in the license competition,” had "irregular interactions with interested parties at its most sensitive stages, sought and received substantive information on emerging trends (and) made his preference as between the leading candidates known".

Reacting to the findings, the Independnat TD for Tipperary North said he "totally rejects the tenure" of Moriarty report.

In a statement he said that Mr Justice Moriarty "has outrageously abused the tribunal’s ability to form opinions which are not substantiated by evidence or fact".

"For example, in relation to the license it was not possible for me to interfere with the license process without the collusion of up to eighteen civil servants. It is preposterous of Moriarty to form an opinion in his report that all of the civil servants and the consultant Michael Andersson had effectively lied under oath.

"During the prolonged hearings into the license not one single witness gave evidence that I in any way interfered with the process or made any suggestion as to who should win the license. Furthermore not one single witness gave evidence that I in any way undermined the application of any losing bidder."

Lowry went onto sat that it was “ludicrous” for Justice Moriarty to  say that the government of the day were midlead in any way by the recommendations made by the Independent project team.

"This report is ultimately the opinion of the chairman and it has no basis in law. It is my intention to study the report in detail and in due course, to challenge its veracity," Lowry's statement concluded.

The tribunal launched its investigations in 2002 after financial links between Lowry and O’Brien were uncovered.

Read more: Irish corruption tribunal: we were wronged and will have to pay