The case, initiated in 2011, is currently being heard by Mr Justice Garrett Simons and may last months.

The Quinn family are concerned to ensure a dispute over the method of analysing 700,000 documents for Irish Bank Resolution Corporation’s action against members of the family does not delay their own action against the bank aimed at avoiding liability for some €2.34bn loans, the Commercial Court has heard.

A High Court judge has said it is “incredible” to accept claims by members of Seán Quinn’s family they cannot produce documents concerning alleged contracts of employment with Russian companies from which they were paid “very large” sums totalling almost €2m in a “very strange way”.