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Former billionaire Sean Quinn jailed for contempt of court

Business tycoon sentenced to nine weeks in jail

By
ANTOINETTE KELLY,
IrishCentral Staff Writer
Published Friday, November 2, 2012, 8:43 AM
Updated Friday, November 2, 2012, 8:53 AM

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Former business tycoon Sean Quinn
Former business tycoon Sean Quinn
Photo by PA


Sean Quinn, formerly Ireland's wealthiest man, has been jailed for failing to comply with a court order. 

On Friday, a judge at Dublin's High Court said she had no choice but to sentence the former business tycoon to nine weeks in prison.

In June, he was found guilty of contempt of court, for hiding assets from the  former Anglo Irish Bank, but avoided a jail sentence.

In his latest court appearance, Justice Elizabeth Dunne said he had committed a serious contempt of court, which was nothing short of outrageous because of his evasive and unco-operative attitude.

On the eve of his latest court appearence, a grassroots campaign established to support the beleaguered businessman warned the press this week of potential 'civil unrest' if he goes to jail or succumbs to illness as a result of ongoing legal battles.

The group Concerned Irish Citizens (CIC) made its warning as the Irish High Court is set to rule whether the 66-year-old, who has had two heart operations, should be sent to jail for breaking court orders.

CIC says it condemns any acts of violence and vandalism. 'There is civil unrest, but we don't want it exploding in the wrong way,' Patricia Gilheany, secretary of CIC, told the Irish Independent.

Gilheany said CIC has received reports about the 'confirmed signs of trauma, exhaustion and heartbreak' experienced by Quinn, who was formerly Ireland's richest man, and his wife Patricia, at a recent support rally in Ballyconnell, County Cavan.

'Many have also commented that if Sean Quinn or any of his family drop dead from the sheer pressure and stress that they are being subjected to on a daily basis, there will be very serious consequences for their perpetrators and for those who facilitated this horror,' said Gilheany.

The Irish Bank Resolution Corporation (IBRC), which was formerly Anglo Irish Bank, has a visible security detail surrounding its key bank personnel at all court appearances. Last year, a new chief executive appointed to the Quinn Group had his family car completely destroyed by an arson attack at his home in County Meath.

Earlier this month lawyers retained by Sean Quinn told the High Court he wants to purge his contempt, and is willing to cooperate with the former Anglo Irish Bank. 

Quinn's companies once employed 5,500 people in Ireland, but now he will be bankrupt into his 70s, Grant added. Quinn also had serious health problems Grant claimed.

Quinn has maintained his denial of being in contempt of court orders restraining stripping of assets, and has appealed the High Court's finding that he was in contempt. The court should defer any decision on jailing Quinn pending that appeal, Grant urged.

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10 Comments

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SarahinLA | Nov 04, 2012, 06:50 AM EST
I felt the need to clarify my earlier post. I don't want to give the impression that I think all people in Ireland are lawless mucksavages. I have encountered many sincere and friendly people there. For the most part however, they are seriously lacking in decorum, displaying poor manners, foul language, total disrespect for the enviornment in disgarding trash and little common senses when driving. This CIC/ Sean Quinn matter does little to dispel the pithforks and lamps image suggested by an earlier poster.

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SarahinLA | Nov 03, 2012, 10:37 AM EDT
By the way gobby, I have a friend in San Diego who told me about the animal behavior of groups of Irish J1 visitors about four years ago. She was shocked to hear afterwards of notices pretty much advising 'no Irish'. I believe it was on this site that I read of several incidents in Perth and most recently in Chicago.

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SarahinLA | Nov 03, 2012, 10:31 AM EDT
Gobby, I find your comparison of supporters of Mr Quinn to people in Deliverance to be hilarios. Because of my work I am a frequent visitor to Ireland and I find it to be a beautiful country with a generally friendly people. I accept your observation however that in general, they have little respect for rules and laws. I often walk from my hotel to the office and am appalled at the amount of trash thrown on sidewalks. I am equally aghast at the amount dog excrement present on the same walkways. I often encounter dogs roaming suburban streets alone despite regulations against this. Take to the roads while there and you witness no respect for speed limits (unless in an area known to be frequented by highway police), no consideration of weather conditions and very aggressive drivers (I recall a US State Department warning to americans visiting Ireland about poor driving habits). I was visiting a few months ago when protests were taking place at, the equivalent here in the states of a city tax being introduced, the household tax. People were being urged by some politicians to refuse to pay it. While I realize that there is no law against it, as a female traveling alone, I am aghast at the lack of decorum displayed by Irish people with their constant use of foul language, even in upmarket hotels, they don't appear to know any better. I could go on about the lack of respect many Irish people have for rules and laws but I think that this threat of retribution to those involved with punishing Mr Quinn for contempt of court undescores gobby's implied suggestion that Ireland is a little like the wild west.

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gobdawpaddy | Nov 03, 2012, 08:38 AM EDT
'if Sean Quinn or any of his family drop dead from the sheer pressure and stress that they are being subjected to on a daily basis, there will be very serious consequences for their perpetrators and for those who facilitated this horror'. It would appear that all these Irish mutants need are pitchforks, lamps and some poor dental work. This threat and previous demonstrations in support of Sean Quinn (these backward, lawless inbreds had signs calling for 'Quinn for Taoiseach')could have provided scenes for the movie 'Deliverance'. This is reminiscent of a situation in Tralee courthouse a few years ago where a Listowel man had been sentenced for rape, fifty people shook hands with the guilty party, comiserating with him on his fate. It appears that Irish people are still having difficulty assimilating into civilization and rule of law, further evidenced by the animal behavior of their new emigrants to places like San Diego, Pert, Chicago etc. They should never have been taken from the wild.

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Smyrnian | Nov 03, 2012, 07:54 AM EDT
Bankers do not create jobs? Really? Not much thought went into that statement. misneac......

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misneac | Nov 02, 2012, 11:41 PM EDT
The stupid comment posted by Cillowen clearly shows why Hitler was so successful .Unthinking people ,brainwashed by the media .Sean Quinn is an Irish hero ,who created jobs ,did the work of the job creation agencies both North and South ,is the victim of an anti Catholic agenda who do not like " peasents" outside Dublin becoming major employers . No Banker (who never created a single job ) is in jail ! I know Cilliowen never thought deeply about the matter .

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cillowen | Nov 02, 2012, 10:21 PM EDT
he'll be out and about within a matter of days ... that how the golden wonders usually fare.

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seamus60 | Nov 02, 2012, 05:23 PM EDT
Looks like a possability the funds have been liberated by a russian style mafia. The only differance being the Irish one are all in Gov.

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barnie4001 | Nov 02, 2012, 02:26 PM EDT
had the sentence been 9 years i am quite sure the monies would have miraclousy appeasred

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MichaelJTully | Nov 02, 2012, 02:21 PM EDT
No,he should not, the gangsters, banksters and crocked politicians,can claim a false victory over this. The truth will prevail someday.

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