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Quinn contempt case adjourned

Friday, October 19 12:23:33

Disgraced former billionaire, Sean Quinn senior today escaped following his son, Sean, in to prison with his contempt case adjourned for three weeks.

Convicted felon Sean Quinn jnr is expected to be released from prison later today after spending three months behind bars.

His release is pending a further High Court hearing to decide whether he, his father and cousin have adequately complied with court orders aimed at restraining the stripping of multi-million assets from the Quinn family's international property group.

The order jailing Quinn jnr expired at midnight last night, Ms Justice Elizabeth Dunne was told by new lawyers for Mr Quinn and his father today.

The judge said she thought it was to expire at midnight tonight but she said it was a matter for the prison authorities to release Mr Quinn on expiry of the order. If it expired last night, "so be it", she said. It is expected Mr Quinn will be now taken back to the prison and formally released from there.

On the application of lawyers for the two Quinns, who, the court heard, were instructed just last Tuesday, the judge has adjourned to November 1st a hearing to determine what compliance there has been with some 30 coercive orders made by her on July 20th to reverse the asset stripping.

She said the lawyers were entitled to a brief period to prepare for that hearing but said it would only be a short adjournment because she has "grave concerns" given what Irish Bank Resolution Corporation (IBRC) had said about developments since July 20th, including that a freezing order obtained by the bank on a controversial $500,000 payment to a general director of Quinn Properties Ukraine had been lifted by the Ukranian courts.