Quinns to learn if they face further contempt of court charges

Bankrupt businessman Seán Quinn and his son, Seán Jr, will today find out if they are to face further charges of contempt of court which could see both men put behind bars.

They are due to appear before a sitting of the High Court this morning to review developments in the ongoing attempt by the Irish Bank Resolution Corporation (IBRC, formerly Anglo Irish Bank) to recover €2.3bn which it claims is owed to taxpayers by the Quinns.

Mr Quinn Jr, who has been in Mountjoy since Jul 20 for contempt of court, is expected to be formally released from his prison term today following a Supreme Court ruling earlier this week that the High Court was entitled to issue him a three- month jail sentence for the offence.

However, the country’s highest court also said it was open to IBRC to bring fresh contempt proceedings against both men as well as their relative, Peter Darragh Quinn.

Seán Quinn’s nephew, who is based in Lisbellaw, Co Fermanagh, was also sentenced to three months last July but has become a fugitive as a result of his failure to attend court. He faces arrest to serve the jail term if he appears in the Republic.

Since last July, Seán Quinn has given no indication he is willing to purge his contempt as he has vowed to continue to fight against disputed debts of €2.3bn claimed by IBRC.

The 65-year-old entrepreneur only escaped a prison term in order to allow him take steps to comply with orders issued by Ms Justice Elizabeth Dunne to unravel a scheme devised by the Quinn family to put assets worth €500m beyond the reach of IBRC. The judge described the contempt by the three Quinns as “outrageous” and “most serious”.

Yesterday, an IBRC spokesperson refused to comment on today’s proceedings. Lawyers for the State- owned bank are expected to outline any assistance, if any, provided by the Quinns over the past three months since the previous court hearing.

Meanwhile, the group established to support the Quinns — Concerned Irish Citizens (CIC) — has vowed to continue its campaign to return ownership of the business empire to the family. Chairwoman Maureen Martin said CIC’s main concern was that any contempt proceedings against the Quinns should be deferred until a hearing of a High Court challenge being taken by the family against the disputed €2.3bn debt.

Ms Martin, who ran unsuccessfully for Sinn Féin in Ballinamore, Co Leitrim, in the last local election in 2009, criticised her party’s silence on the issue as well as that of all politicians in Leinster House. “I’m more puzzled than disappointed. All 166 TDs have gone to ground except for a few rude tweets from people like Charlie Flanagan.”

She said she was motivated to form CIC with another Ballinamore- based woman, Patricia Gilheaney out of genuine concern about how the Quinn business empire was taken from the family. A former president of Connacht GAA, Tommy Moran, was also involved in its formation.

Ms Martin said the Quinns had no involvement in the organisation.

She said the group, which claims 90,000 supporters, was raising funds to help the Quinns with the cost of potential legal challenges.