Leitrim councillor in former Quinn Group role not to seek election to Dáil

Leitrim Fine Gael councillor John McCartin, who played an important role in the return of a large element of the former Quinn Group in the Border area to local control, has said he is not going to seek election to the next Dáil.

Mr McCartin, who was elected cathaoirleach of Leitrim County Council during the summer, was to tell the west Cavan Fine Gael organisation last night that he did not believe being elected a TD would be compatible with his ongoing efforts to resolve issues arising from the seizure of the Quinn Group.

He told The Irish Times that he has isolated himself from contact with senior politicians over recent times as he has sought to resolve the dispute between the Quinn family and the liquidators of the State-owned Irish Bank Resolution Corporation.

If he was elected to the Dáil it would be impossible not to create a conflict between the two roles, he said.

Mr McCartin is a director of QBRC Ltd, formerly Quinn Business Retention Company Ltd, which includes a number of former Quinn Group executives and now owns industrial divisions of the former Quinn group along the Cavan/Fermanagh border.

He is also involved in efforts to resolve the High Court disputes between the Quinn family and the IBRC. In relation to the latter, he said the process was “not dead, just woefully slow”.