Court 'wrong' to jail Quinn junior
The Supreme Court has been told it was "wrong in principle" to jail the son of bankrupt businessman Sean Quinn "indefinitely" so as to put pressure on his father to reverse measures to put multi-million assets beyond the reach of the former Anglo Irish Bank.
Lawyers for Sean Quinn Junior also argued today he was wrongly jailed for failing to adhere to more than 30 coercive orders aimed at reversing asset stripping when only one of those orders related to the single finding of contempt of court made by the High Court against him on foot of which he was jailed last July.
There was also nothing in new evidence being advanced by the Bank to the Supreme Court to support the continued detention of Sean Quinn Junior, his counsel Brian O'Moore SC said.
That evidence, counsel indicated, related to a DVD recording of a meeting in Kiev allegedly attended by Sean Quinn junior and matters related to Russian properties.
The finding of contempt against Sean Quinn Junior arose from the High Court finding he facilitated a payment of $500,000 to the general director of Quinn Properties Ukraine around the time of the takeover of that company by Irish Bank Resolution Corporation, formerly Anglo. The bank had advanced no purpose for the sanctioning of such a payment by the Quinns, counsel said.
Bill Shipsey SC, also for Mr Quinn, said the order jailing Mr Quinn arose from a finding of criminal contempt but he was also jailed for failing to comply with coercive orders that went "way beyond" the finding of contempt against him.
A three month sentence was imposed for the finding of contempt but it also appeared he was jailed indefinitely in a bid to secure compliance with the coercive orders.
Counsel were opening the appeal by Sean Quinn Junior against a High Court finding of contempt of court orders and a decision jailing him for that contempt.
The appeal is being heard by a five-judge Supreme Court, presided over by the Chief Justice, Ms Justice Susan Denham, and is listed to run for two days.
Sean Quinn Junior, who has been detained in the Training Unit of Mountjoy Prison since July 20th last, has been permitted attend the appeal and was in court today with his wife Karen Woods and brother in law, Niall McPartland.
Mike Aynlsey, chief executive of Irish Bank Resolution Corporation, formerly Anglo Irish Bank, which is pursuing the Quinn family over loans of some €2.8 billion, was also in court today.
Sean Quinn Junior was jailed over what the High Court found was "outrageous" and "flagrant" contempt of court orders restraining the Quinn family putting property assets valued at up to €500 million beyond the reach of the former Anglo Irish Bank.
