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Quinns get €2k in living expenses as assets frozen

A judge has made an order freezing the assets owned or controlled by the five adult children of bankrupt businessman Seán Quinn, his nephew Peter Darragh Quinn and two sons-in-law — Stephen Kelly and Niall McPartland — below €50m each.

They can have living expenses of €2,000 each up to next week under the interim orders granted after a hearing in the Commercial Court yesterday.

The order was made by Mr Justice Peter Kelly after a court move by Irish Bank Resolution Corporation, formerly Anglo. At the request of Paul Gallagher, counsel for the bank, the judge ruled the making of the application could not be notified or publicised to any other party until the hearing had finished.

The orders were sought by the bank on grounds it believes the Quinns have already “misappropriated” assets from their international property group (IPG) as part of a scheme to frustrate IBRC’s efforts to recover loans of up to €2.8bn against them and were prepared to dispose of those assets.

The bank claims the family may have continued to take actions implementing that scheme during High Court contempt proceedings against some of them, on which judgment was reserved last month. Transactions had occurred unexpectedly and were ongoing with one occurring while the contempt motion was at hearing in May, it alleged.

Richard Woodhouse of IBRC said in an affidavit it was not possible to put a precise value on the assets removed to date by the Quinns or others acting on their behalf, but he believed the value of the assets either removed or at risk of removal was about €400m.

He said the bank had obtained information in the past few months demonstrating the extent to which steps have been taken by the family and their agents to appropriate assets in which IBRC has an interest.

This evidence included a distinct pattern of shares in valuable Russian IPG companies being transferred to off-shore companies in recent months and Peter Darragh Quinn’s evidence in the contempt proceedings he requested the purchase of eight off-shore shelf companies for the “Quinn family” at the request of the family’s Russian advisers.

Other information included a High Court ruling in the North last month setting aside a purported assignment by Sean Quinn of a $45.2m debt, he said.

Mr Justice Kelly said the allegations against the defendants were of the “utmost seriousness” and, given the “alleged deviousness”, he considered the court should intervene and make the orders sought.

Ms Justice Elizabeth Dunne last month reserved judgment on those contempt proceedings where the bank alleges contempt by Seán Quinn Sr, his son Seán, and nephew Peter Darragh Quinn of court orders of June and July 2011 restraining them moving assets beyond its reach. The Quinns denied the claims.

Mr Justice Kelly directed the Quinn defendants could apply to vary yesterday’s orders at 24 hours’ notice.

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