BUSINESSMAN SEÁN Quinn has angrily rejected “innuendo” that he was associated with criminal acts against the property of Quinn Group and its chief executive Paul O’Brien over the past five months.
Mr O’Brien had earlier in the day told RTÉ Radio that Mr Quinn had shunned a request made in May by the chairman of Quinn Group for him to “renounce, condemn and ask for these activities to desist forthwith”.
Mr O’Brien, who is on holiday abroad with his family, said he was “flabbergasted” by this response.
Speaking to The Irish Times, Mr O'Brien added: "What he's [Mr Quinn] failed to recognise is the significance of the impact of what he could say to make things stop. Either he fails to recognise it or he's choosing not to."
Mr O’Brien’s comments came in the wake of an arson attack on his home in Ratoath, Co Meath, on Monday which damaged his car and home.
Mr Quinn, who founded Quinn Group, said in a statement that Mr O’Brien had “clearly by inference and innuendo made public his belief that I was associated with recent unlawful acts”.
“I wish to state in the most categoric terms that I have no knowledge whatsoever of any unlawful acts in relation to individuals or property associated with the Quinn Group other than what I have read in the media,” he said.
Mr Quinn said that when he was contacted by the chairman of Quinn Group in May and asked to condemn reported acts of sabotage and intimidation, he had replied that this was a “clear inference that I was interfering in the business”.
“In my response I also stated that I found such an inference ‘deeply offensive’,” he said.
Mr Quinn said he had spoken several weeks ago with the Chief Inspector of the Police Service of Northern Ireland, Sue Steen, in relation to the reported attacks on the company’s property.
“I stated, in clear and unequivocal terms, that persons carrying out such acts were not acting in my name and requested them to cease. These comments were widely reported by the BBC at the time and repeated again yesterday.” Mr Quinn said Mr O’Brien had “intentionally failed to acknowledge my reported comments” to the chief inspector.
“ I can only speculate on the reasons for this. But I trust that the clarification will allow the Quinn Group board to refocus on running the business in interests of the loyal staff and local community,” Mr Quinn said.
Several attacks have taken place against Quinn Group property and vehicles since KPMG was appointed as a share receiver by the company’s lenders in mid-April. Mr Quinn lost control of the company at that time and was removed as its chairman.
“The attacks are directly correlated to the share enforcement by Anglo Irish Bank,” said Mr O’Brien, who took over after Mr Quinn’s removal.
“Certain people want me to go away, that’s the reality of it. Otherwise they don’t come to your house and try to blow up your car. That’s the only reading that any rational person could take from that,” Mr O’Brien said.