The family of bankrupt businessman Séan Quinn may seek to cross-examine
Irish Bank Resolution Corporation
special liquidator
Kieran Wallace
. It concerns
how the Commercial Court was told of proceedings taken in the US and UK following allegations by unidentified “informants” that the family may be hiding up to €500 million.
The Quinn family, who say the claims are "scurrilous lies", may seek to cross-examine Mr Wallace after they have studied various documents put before the US and UK courts, their counsel Charlotte Simpson BL said.
There were no grounds for a cross-examination of Mr Wallace, said Paul Gallagher SC for IBRC, and if the application was brought, it would be firmly resisted .
Allegations before court
Ms Simpson yesterday moved an application before Mr
Justice Peter Kelly
arising from the family’s complaints IBRC put the informant’s allegations before the court on Friday May 30th without giving the Quinns advance notice.
The Quinns were particularly concerned because the allegations got lots of media publicity on May 30th and over that weekend before they could respond in court when litigation involving the parties was mentioned on June 2nd, counsel said.
She noted the judge previously said the Quinns were entitled to see all the documents put before him on May 30th. They had also sought IBRC’s consent to their being given a copy of the court’s digital recording of the May 30th proceedings and the bank indicated it would consent.
‘Gain advantage’
In an affidavit, Niall McPartland, a solicitor and husband of Ciara Quinn, said the family believed the May 30th application was made to ensure court privilege here for the allegations made in the US and UK courts by the bank’s “so-called informants” and to gain a litigation advantage by casting the Quinns “in a bad light”.
Certain information provided by the informants was “simply wrong”, he said. IBRC had also stated on May 30th the content of emails related to the US proceedings were likely to be produced within a week but the family were told, due to privacy laws in the US, that was not the case.
Mr Gallagher said IBRC strongly rejected the claims the May 30th application was “most unusual”.
