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THE BANKRUPT BUSINESSMAN Seán Quinn has said that 100 per cent of his fellow inmates at Mountjoy Prison felt he should not have been there in his first interview since being released from prison today.
Quinn, who was once the richest man in Ireland, was released from the prison in Dublin today having spent the last nine weeks in jail.
The High Court in Dublin had found him in contempt of court for violating court orders preventing him from putting assets beyond the reach of Irish Bank Resolution Corporation (IBRC) which claims it is owed over €2 billion.
In an interview with BBC Newsline tonight, the 66-year-old described his prison spell as “tough” but said he tried to “fit in” to jail life.
“I could fit in with most environments and I fitted in,” he told the BBC.
“The staff were very good, very professional, but of course, when you find a door slamming at nine o’clock at night, it’s not nice. It’s not something I was used to and it’s not something I felt I deserved.”
Quinn said that he “wasn’t always mad about the food” but said that it was a “learning experience” to meet people who went through “different experiences over their lifetime”.
“I wouldn’t call it frightening but it was certainly one that would make you think,” he said.
Quinn, who had three days compassionate relief over Christmas where he returned home to his family in Ballyconnell in Co Cavan, said that he did not feel he should have been in prison in the first place.
He said the view was shared by his fellow prisoners: “I think 100 per cent of them felt I shouldn’t be there.
“I certainly felt I shouldn’t be there, after creating 7,000 jobs, after never in my life owing anybody a penny. Never in my life did I steal a penny or take a penny that didn’t belong to me,” he added.
Quinn said it was possible he could return to jail in the future and said he had “genuinely no idea” what the bank, formerly Anglo Irish Bank, would do next.
IBRC has been pursuing Quinn and his family through the courts in recent months alleging that it is owed more than €2.3 billion, attempting to recover that money through Quinn assets based worldwide.
IBRC lawyers allege that the Quinn family have attempted to put assets beyond its reach with the High Court finding Quinn and his son Seán jr in contempt of court last year.
Seán jr has already served a three month prison sentence but his cousin Peter Darragh Quinn, who was also sentenced to 90 days in Mountjoy for the same offence, has evaded a Garda arrest warrant having travelled north of the border and remained there since sentencing.
The Quinns claim that the Anglo loans were illegal and were used to prop up the bank’s falling share price in the months prior to its collapse and subsequent government takeover in 2009.
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I am sure they felt, they shouldn’t be there either!
And reading his comments above it looks like he’s in complete denial…
Of course, all his fellow inmates are innocent as well.
Great judges of who should be locked up
Stephen best comment yet!
The Mountjoy Redemption:
Heywood: Red? You saying Seanie’s innocent? I mean for real innocent?
Red: Yeah, it looks that way.
Heywood: Sweet Jesus. How long’s he been in here?
Red: Since 2012, what is that…nineteen days.
Would make a great film.
He has done his time and not complained. If he, or others, believe that it was unfair for him to be incarcerated, then fair enough. He has served that time so give him a break. Shocking to read such negative comments and those baying for blood
Charlie Bucket, Dont worry too much about the Quinn bashers because if you go through their comments and rants, there are precious few comments among them of any intelligence. Everyone is entitled to an opinion but many of the opinions being dished out here are posted by people who have a large block on their shoulders and whose IQ is on the low end of the scale. Anglo must be thrilled with their brain washing project.
@Charlie- Tell you what. When my taxes aren’t going to paying back debts that he allegedly racked up, when my insurance premium returns to the level it was at before we had to subsidise his failed business and when he has paid back every cent he owes and complied fully with the judicial investigation- then I might get off his back. As long as his nephew has stopped being a coward and returned from hiding in the North and faced justice too. Until then…
Facts can be annoying Rusty. Which one gets you most? That he was jailed for contempt of court for putting assets out of the reach of the state while a judgement on those assets was pending?
@rusty9 what you mean is the QUINNS must be thrilled with their brain washing project.
@ Ciaran. How much money have you saved in insurance in the past 15 years due to Quinn entering the market. At 21 years of age, I was quoted 3200 quid for 1 year’s insurance .And then Quinn Direct came along and gave me a premium for less than half that… All in all, I will owe Quinn despite that 2% levy everyone goes on about. Quinn made radical changes to the way we got insurance….. back in the day!
Charlie that’s the same argument as the 7000 jobs in Cavan. Giving you and I cheap insurance was not a philanthropic act. His supporters keep going to these arguments. I’m all for making money but I don’t see why we would give him credit for the jobs and cheap insurance that made him that money and not also hold him accountable for the crazy risks and illegal acts he took part in in order to hold on to it.
what failed business? anglo is the failed business not the quinn group..pretty low IQ thats your problem
As far as I am aware. He took 1 risky deal in getting involved with the Anglo shares fiasco. Shares which it now seems that we’re shored up my illegal audits of Anglo. Would Quinn have taken this risk had he known the true state of Anglo ?????
M Bowe shoulda like you need to get more aware… Even if that was true he should be happy to have a judge see the facts and then the assets returned to his control.
@Jim- the Quinn Group’s a success story. Btw- that Anglo you mentioned? Guess who was a really significant shareholder? The word you’re looking for is D’uh!
@Jim- I see you’re from Cavan. Shocker that.
Bell end!!
We’re all paying the price for his greed and yes he had complained he deserves to be there for longer
Ha ha ha ha ha
+ 1
It says a lot that he values their opinion
Interestingly the article headline does not use the words “I think..” This detail is only included in the body of the article….misleading
He should try asking some taxpayers!
and100% of that 100% are degenerates.
Rod, the simple fact is that the taxpayers or the Insurance policy holders would not have been burdened by one cent if the Quinn Proposal had not been inappropriately discarded.
@rusty The Quinns are corrupt criminals end of story.
And anyone paying car Insureance , not to many of them in his straw pole. What is it he has cost us 2% for the next 30 years… Here’s an idea if all his supporters fr Brian and all the great and good of the GAA feel that strongly why don’t they volunteer to pay a few % extra and give the rest of us a break…
Water always finds its own level
If charges have been laid that the audits of Anglo were illegally signed off on and that the loans advanced were illegal. Irrespective if the charges are upheld surly the offences have been established as taking place. Therefore shud itnot have been established beforehand if Quinn is liable for these loans????
Our public representatives take a little backlash from their people for their budget of betrayal and they are crying “Vitriol” from the roof tops and demanding for the end of free speech.
Yet this man who was vilified criminalized and jailed by a criminal bank supported by our government
He and his children are continually slated by a
criminal bank and its (taxpayer funded PR machine),
a bought out media,
our government,
and a certain sector of a misled/ misinformed public.
As our “leaders” cheer on this vile, hostile, bullying frenzy from the Dail bar.
Disgusting.
This business family is made of strong stuff.
Happy New Year Sean Quinn And All Your Family
And The Best Of Luck To You All In The Future.
Great guy. All Irish people should be thankful to him in a way. Hats off Sean. Ill be the next non Irish but irish citizen billionaire. To Those people who think of you negatively, I have one message for them: I am hereby empowered by the Irish Free State to declare you as the presidents of the Irish Ranting Association…Good Luck
@HARRY- I think you’ll find he was jailed by an independent judiciary who took a look at the facts, issued numerous warnings & reprieves and who ultimately were left with no choice but to send him for his first stint in Mountjoy.
Vincent,
The judiciary did not make the decision to jail Sean Quinn. The disaster that is Anglo Irish bank was asked if a custodial sentence was requested. They said that they wanted a custodial sentence.
@Tom- a judges order sent him down. For the first time.
Sean do not listen to anyone other than what’s in your heart n soul. you might have made mistakes as we all do but you were offered apple from the tree like Adam n eve .
Those crocodile tears would make you gag.
@Andy Mars Do explain how Sean Quinn is a criminal please? Over 204 thumbs up to your uninformed comment. Typical of the understanding of this whole case.
He was jailed for contempt of court after moving asserts beyond the courts reach having been told not to do so. Whatever Anglo did is irrelevant. He showed blatant disregard for the rule of law and was rightly jailed for it. The jobs he created are irrelevant. As welcome as that employment is it doesn’t allow anyone to take the law into their own hands.
Ya beat me to it. That is some funny sh1t!
Exactly
People are so bloody naive in this country
Ya I’m so thankful he’s costing me a 2 per cent levy for the next 20 years or more wise up
100% of inmates agree with Quinn. Talk about ‘thick as thieves’.
RAISIN if you only knew who the real thieves were when it comes to our courts
That is of course if your under under the impression he is telling the truth………..
Ya Sean quinn
100 per cent of ordinary Irish people believe you deserved your sentence . Thanks to you we have a levy on our insurance premiums ! Personally I think you should have got longer
I don’t so that blows ur 100% theory
Mary,
How charitable of you! Your percentages are incorrect. A lot of people realise that Quinn was doing what any man would have done, in his position. The assets that he hid were his, and are his, until proven otherwise in a court of law. He hid them rightfully, as any of us would have. He was punisshed for breaching court orders stopping him from continuing the hiding of the assets, nothing more. I don’t condone the breaching of the orders of the court, but can understand keeping what is rightfully his out of the dirty hands of a toxic bank.
@ Y.F. Your are legally and factually incorrect. The assets were not the assets of Mr. Quinn and his family. The belonged to indebted companies which has been mortgaged and the subject of guarantees for loans to fund greedy speculation. Having been ordered by the Court not to place the assets outside of the jurisdiction of the Court, Mr. Quinn, his son and nephews, aided by others, engaged in a sophisticated, planned, covert and dishonest process of dissipating assets and did so by means of per-dated documents.
Shame on you for attempting to mislead us.
Please reveal your identity and the true nature of your interest in this matter.
Peter,
The foriegn assets were NEVER used as gaurantees on any loans taken out with Anglo. The 455 million of undisputed debt has been paid back ten-fold. (glass, therm, insulation, radiators cement, plastic factories, hotels, pubs etc) The rest of the debt is hugely in dispute. Anglo have no hold on them, until it is proven to be so in a court of law. Until then, why wouldn’t Quinn make sure they don’t get their hands on them?
I am not attempting to mislead anybody. I am trying to let people realise that what they read in the papers are Anglo’s version of events. The whole picture is not being given to the general public.
My interest in the matter is great as I believe this man and his family are the victims of bullying and are being used as scapegoats for the entire downfall of the countries’ economy.
Shame on you sir!
Peter,
I hate to correct you but the assets did belong to the Quinn family. I believe there were a number of divisions within the Quinn Group. All shares were owned by members of the Quinn family. There was no money borrowed in order to purchase the property in Quinn property. Anglo did not lend a penny, With no loans on the property, who owned the property? The guarantees that Anglo are trying to enforce have serious issues. The fact that it is illegal to loan money in order to prop up your own share price. That we have been told the Quinns never received legal advice. That fact that Anglo presented fake accounts.
Y.F. The assets although located outside of Ireland were charged as security for Irish borrowings and then transferred for an undervalue. You condone contempt of court and you condone criminality. I assume that the Quinn family will reward your “valiant” and disingenuous defence of their interests. Defend the indefensible. Contempt of court is still contempt of court.
Peter,
Please review my comment above. In it is disagree with your point completely.
Is that you Junior?
At Tom McManus, various assets in the Quinn corporate group and shares in the Quinn companies were the subject of charges to secure borrowings to meet CFD liabilities. Various assets were held within the Quinn corporate group and extracted out from the Quinn Group. Even Sean Quinn stares that it was his belief, but mistaken, that these assets were not charged in favour of or subject to claim by IRBC.
The fact is that the assets were extracted from the Quinn Group, funded by the Quinn Group and were corporate assets, not personal assets.
Mr. Quinn cannot legally own anything. The legal title in his assets vest in the Official Assignee in Bankruptcy following his adjudication as a bankrupt.
Mr. Quinn aided by his son and his absconded nephew set up with the assistance of a Moscow firm of lawyers an elaborate cross jurisdictional scheme to transfer ownership of assets to nominees and trustees outside of Ireland. The documents were pre dated and admitted to have actually been executed after a Court Order was made restraining the disposal of the specific assets.
You raise an interesting point about claimed illegality of loans amounting to approximately 450 million euro, ignoring the other 2 billion of Quinn loans. High Court civil proceedings have been issued claiming that this 450 million of loans are tainted by illegality, the loans being claimed to have been lent for an illegal purpose. Although the loans were actually advanced the Quinn family’s claim is that they are not liable to repay the loans because the loans were made for an illegal purpose. It’s an interesting legal argument but the morality of being permitted to retain the benefit of illegal loans seems questionable to me.
I can outline the timeline of what is publicly known so far but it would take about 20 pages and even then the account would be less than complete.
Please refer to the RTE 9.00 PM news tonight when Quinn admitted that it was a mere belief that he and his family owned the assets in question.
As for your second post, I politely note your disagreement. I will refrain from commenting further other than to say that the root cause of the Quinn family’s financial misfortunes were due to massive under reserving in Quinn Insurance and the grossly reckless speculation by Mr. Quinn personally in contracts for difference in the shares in Anglo Irish Bank.
Tonight I listened to a Quinn supporter assert that it made no financial sense for Mr. Quinn to create 7,000 jobs but that Mr. Quinn was motivated only by his dedication to the people of Cavan, Monaghan and Fermanagh. I had assumed that the employment was a by product of business and profit ambition. I still believe that Mr. Quinn’s primary motive was to enrich himself and his family but it may be that he was a pure and tragically misunderstood philanthropist.
I am sending this from my iPhone and my apologies for all the typos and wrong words. I keep getting unintended words. The wonder is that an old man can even use this phone to post.
Mr Richardston is so interested in commenter’s identities. Do you yourself happen to work for Anglo…aahem..IBRC?
Nice of you to speak for everyone Mary.
@ Charlie Bucket, sadly not. Just keen to know where the Devil’s Advocate was coming from.
Peter that was a long post,
I am just going to respond to parts of it. You have it the wrong way around. The Quinn’s acknowledge owing around €450 million to Anglo. It is the larger amount, around €2 billion that there is an issue over. That is quiet a big fact to get the wrong way around. With regard the issue of who owns the property in Quinn property. Sean Quinn did not own any of the Quinn Group. So whether he is bankrupt or not makes absolutely not difference. He has never claimed to own any of the group in 2007. The Quinns have said that the guarantees that Anglo are using were signed after the fact. Why would a smart man i.e Sean Quinn get his family to sign a guarantee after the money was lent. That the guarantees were not dated was noted in court. The Quinns say that they received no legal advice. That there was no cover letter. And that an organisation cannot lend money in support of an illegal objective of market manipulation. This is prohibited by the relevent EU Directive on Market Abuse. This is a legal fact. So you think that there are no issues regarding the validity of the loans. There are. Some major ones.
Yet more rubbish from the Quinn haters!. Perhaps some of you would like to explain why we are lumbered with a call of 1.65 billion of the ICF when the administrators went before a High COurt judge and said that there would be NO call on it and that Quinn Insurance was a profitable company. It was a profitable company with its best quarter ever in Jan-Mar 2010 until they got their dirty hands on it.
Secondly, can some of you please answer me the very simple question:
How much has been recouped in the current strategy on Quinn, how much of our money has been spend by Anglo on PR and legal fees etc and CRUCIALLY HOW DOES THAT COMPARE WITH WHAT WAS ON OFFER FROM QUINN?
@PeterRichardson – Can you explain what assets were moved subsequent to Quinn being declared bankrupt as per your assertion? (I’d like a source if you don’t mind)
Also, the 450 million are the undisputed loans, not the 2 billion as you’ve said – this is important as it supports YF’s argument above.
You’re repeating the same effective argument over and over that the foreign assets were security on the loans. Until the legality of those loans is determined, you’re not in a position to say the assets belong or were due to the lenders of those borrowings.
We’re all well aware of what the Quinns have done in terms of breaking court orders. And unlike others who have so far gotten away scot free he’s been punished for that. But you might be better off not accusing people of being factually incorrect when you have so many inaccuracies in your posts that (coincidentally, of course) are all biased against Quinn.
Peter, I hope that you are being well paid by Anglo to post these comments.
Oh, I am still waiting for answers to my questions.
A company which is under investigation for fraudulent activity in shoring up its share prices which Quinn became involved in trying to buy. So lets a stabling if those debts are valid and legal before we chase repayment of them….
@Rusty- we ALL work for Anglo these days. Our wages are docked to pay its debt. Debts that Sean Quinn played an instrumental role accruing and exacerbating. ALLEGEDLY.
I dont either Mary, there goes your 100%
He was in prison for contempt of court. Why did he not comply with the court requests , then he would not have been held in contempt .Simples.
Eileen,if it was that simple to get the Quinn assets back, when then did Enda Kenny and Brian Hayes fail to get them?
What an eegit
Says your man who spells eejit wrong!
Eejit is an Irish word, is there a correct way of spelling it? Eegit/Eejit? Who care’s? Frank got a thumbs up :)
Niall, no need to be pedanthick
So he thinks its a good thing that 100 percent of presumably convicted criminals felt he shouldn’t be there!
Yeah Tricia very good barometer!
I suspect that Sean Quinn was in better company for the past nine weeks that some of those he has had to deal with in the last few years.
@rusty9 I am sure he enjoyed your company the past 9 weeks
“I certainly felt I shouldn’t be there…”
Yeah, you should be in there for 9 years as opposed to 9 weeks.
They just didn’t want him there, so they wouldn’t have to deal with his bulls**t.
Hah ! He was in prison for contempt of court….deservedly so.
Did he do a survey in there or something. In a 2012 prison survey, 100% of inmates said they “didn’t do nothin!”.
Great news, the other cons thought he shouldn’t be there. That really means a lot.
God he’s makin such a joke of himself,going for an interview with the bbc ,adults take responsibility,what a child!
Well sean.
I wouldn’t be shouting too load that prison inmates are backing you.
Drug dealers, murders and robbers support you.
Mr Quinn you deserve to be in prison.
The only thing I will say in your support is that the rest should be in prison too.
You and your family seem to be the only ones been blamed when your mates should be punished along with yourself.
Crime is crime mr Quinn.weather you wear a suit or track suit.
Don’t forget about the garlic importer!!!!
Funny, I didn’t think of him once while he was inside and no sooner is he out than he’s back in the news again. Could we get him put back in please ? Please ???
If we’re jailing people for Anglo, why start with Sean Quinn? What’s wrong with Seanie Fitz? I feel sorry for Quinn although it’s clearly not a sentiment shared by journal readers. Any man that can create 7,000 jobs in a region completely neglected by the state deserves some credit. If we had 100 more Sean Quinns and 100 less Enda Kennys, ireland would be a much better place. Bring on the red thumbs
He was jailed for contempt of court. He was ordered by the court not to do something, he did it anyway, and the court wasn’t satisfied with his attempts, if any, to correct that.
Certainly he should get credit for the employment he created, but that can’t be payment in lieu of disobeying court orders.
My mother and father who are pensioners will be paying a €500 levy this year on their health insurance, to cover his gambling debts, which were incurred before the Anglo deal by the way, by him pocketing money and not having sufficient reserves to cover the policies he was selling. In effect he is the biggest con artist this state has ever seen, regardless of Anglo.
He jailed himself
You’re raving! 100 more Sean Quinns? That would be over 200 billion euro gambled and lost? Thats 100 mars missions or 100 health budgets or just a nice little holiday home for everyone in Ireland. Unfortunately we still had one of him!
Stephen,
Your parents are paying a €500 levy. How much is there insurance? With a 2% levy that equates to a €25,000. That is some premium for pensioners. Are you sure your father is not Sean Fitzpatrick?
To Scrap Croke Park..”pity he didn’t rape somebody” ??? way out of order…
Come on now Scrap. He was one of the biggest shareholders in Anglo by my recollection. He was at the centre of that rotten core as rotten as the rest. 7000 jobs in Cavan and money made from every one at a more than fair Corporate tax rate. We owe him nothing for those jobs. He owes us though. Every penny he has cost us, we’re even willing to spend some of that money we get back on his accommodation for the next ten years or so – how generous of us.
I agree !!
Scrap Croke Park1 that’s a disgusting analogy!
The increase in Health Insurance has is expected to be at least 50% more than it was in 2007.
The levy on insurance is 2% due to the bailout of Quinn Insurance ..
There’s still a 48% increase in health insurance.
Who’s responsible for that????
I’m just pointing that out…
The government levy on health insurance premiums is €285 per adult so Stephen’s grandparents are actually paying over €500 and it will be going up again in the next few months. Don’t know where you’re getting that 2% figure from Tom.
John,
There is a 2% levy on general insurance. There are increases in the health insurance market because of the equalisation program. So VHI are going to be compensated for having an older age profile of clients. The fact that private insurers are going to have to pay more for public beds. And increases in costs. I have no idea where you are getting your figures from. Can you please post a link to this imaginary place?
Tom,
Stephen was talking about health insurance not general insurance and the fact is that the government levy on health insurance premiums is €285 for every adult. True, most of that goes to Vhi as their customers have a higher age profile but considering it’s going to go up again soon who know whether some of it will go towards the bailout of Quinn insurance. Here’s the link with the figures from ’09 to ’12, scroll to the very bottom….http://www.hia.ie/regulation/risk-equalisation/
But that is risk equalisation. That has absolutely nothing to do with Sean Quinn. I noted that was the reason in my previous response to you. The 2% is for the general insurance market. That includes health insurance.
Ciaran Morgan, he did not jail himself. He was jailed at the behest of Anglo, the most corrupt bank of all times. How did you miss that?
Tom (Quinn apologist), no their medical insurance does not cost 25,000 or anywhere near that. The government levy on the policy is however 500 as stated on the renewal, you can accept that or not I don’t really care. As a couple who both worked their entire adult lives, I think they are entitled to decent medical care, which this state does not provide.
Anglo are the bad boys and sure they took advantage of the poor ignorant country boy Seanie. So did those Russian mafia bold boys, when poor Seanie was only trying to rob the Irish tax payers. Sean Quinn has one motivation in life, GREED, anything else is just a side effect. He isn’t the only one but I hope he isn’t the only one who goes to jail either!
Stephen,
That may be. But the fact is the insurance levy is 2%. So 2% can be attributed to Quinn Direct. The rest can be attributed to government policy. Risk equalisation is the reason. But seeing as your parents are most probably old and therefore in a high risk profile. They are probably getting a heavily discounted premium.
But just to make one thing clear. This has absolutely nothing to do with Sean Quinn. That is my point. This is an article on Sean Quinn. I thought it might be apt to mention my point.
You do know creating jobs does not make you immune from the law right ?????????
Mr. Quinn is delusional. When the full extent of his miscreancy emerges into the public domain, his erstwhile supporters will be acutely embarrassed.
Mr. Quinn enjoyed the support of the Central bank of Ireland, IFSRA, the Department of Finance and the previous Government. He was allowed to be above the law and unaccountable.
The essential contention of Mr. Quinn is that laws, like tax, are only for the little people.
In what way did he have the support of the Central Bank?
Before any of the issues in 2009, he already had been charged with the highest fine in the history of the state and forced out of Quinn Insurance, so clearly massively supported by IFSRA.
He has since had that company taken off him by the restructured central bank / regulator despite absolutely no backup or explanation given by the regulator to how he came to the conclusion there was an issue with the reserves (the Quinns claim their legal advice points to there being no issue with the reserves; you, of course won’t accept that, but what’s clear is that the regulator took absolutely no legal advice and has given no background to the decsion) so clearly they’ve had loads of support there.
The previous Government didn’t make any intervention when the trouble started with Quinn Insurance. Can you provide details of what support he got from the previous or current Governments (specifics please)?
Or do you have an agenda in making stuff like this up???
@ CM, I will later reply in detail. I am on an iPhone and I find it difficult to compose coherent posts,. As a preliminary point, the regime change following Mr Honohan and Mr Elderfield’s appointment changed the nature of prudential supervision in Ireland.
The CBI under its previous management allowed a banking collapse owing primarily to domestic over lending and in failing to regulate Anglo Irish Bank. The “green jersey” period involved consultation by DoF with the CBI.
IFSRA treated Quinn Insurance as practically untouchable. The egregious charging of assets and guarantees over assets of Quinn Insurance to secure loans to Quinn personally was an astonishingly imprudent and led to a relatively nominal and belated fine.
I am a retired lawyer, retired since 2006, and I did not have and I do not have any vested interest other than as a citizen, tax payer, insurance policyholder subject to the insurance levy and an ordinary person who feels that the axe of austerity has fallen disproportionately on those who are least capable of affording it.
I live in Ringsend on a very modest pension, no mortgage, never had shares in an Irish Bank except through my much devastated pension and I work in a hospice on a voluntary basis.
Peter, do you know Sean Quinn? Secondly, I am also a taxpayer and an Irish Citizen and I am outraged at what this debacle is costing the most vulnerable in society but there we part company because I deal in facts and the fact is that Quinn offered to pay the State 2.8 billion but hat offer was thrown in his face. There would be no call on the ICF and the taxpayers would not be burdened by one cent if that proposal had not been inappropriately discarded in favour of a strategy that will cost us billions.
I look forward to your detailed response, particularly how he got beneficial treatment by the CBI, Dept of Finance and previous Government.
We are all, sadly, well aware of how underregulated the Irish financial services industries were throughout the celtic tiger years, but to say Sean Quinn got disproportionate benefit from this under-regulation from being some kind of insider is without foundation. I would argue to the contrary – that his “nominal” fine which was the biggest ever, and exclusion from the company he’d built up don’t suggest that he was treated as above the law – quite the opposite. His treatment by the “reformed” system wouldn’t exactly reflect that assertion either.
The Quinns get plenty of things thrown at them, some perhaps justified, but with all that’s happened, to say he was treated as unaccountable is beyond nonsense. Had he been a patron of the Galway tent, no doubt he’d be in a better position than he is today.
@ CM, send me your email address and I will be happy to quote you chapter and verse. It’s a long and details story which started when both the CBI and IFSRA refused to countenance complaints about Quinn Insurance under pricing insurance risks, under reserving, refusing to appoint an external actuary and external claims experts to analyse the claims provisioning of Quinn Insurance and warned off industry experts.
Mr Quinn was well got with Bertie Ahern and later with Brian Cowen. I have little doubt that if any other political party had been in power they would likewise have been in thrall to mr. Quinn.
It was due to Mr. Quinn’s wealth, power and influence that he was rendered untouchable from a regulatory perspective.
For a time there was a hope that Quinn Insurance might be managed into profitability, the triumph of hope over experience, but the black hole deficit was too great. Elderfield had to act and there were political efforts to dissuade him but Dr. Honohan bravely defended Elderfield’s position and the problem was at last confronted.
In the good times foreign non-life insurers refused to enter the Irish market due to the regulatory favouritism shown to Mr. Quinn and Quinn Insurance.
I am amused to see that I am accused of being involved with the IRBC. I declined a recommendation from a stockbroker to invest a small nest egg in shares in Anglo Irish Bank and I have never met or communicated to my knowledge with anyone in IBRC.
@ PR
Let me summarise your “proofs” of your implication of special regulatory and political terms afforded to Quinn:
Proof of special treatment by Central Bank and IFSRA:
1. Being allowed to operate without an actuary (your initial paragraph makes this same point 3 times using different terms).– They did, Milliman’s, (who, by the way, have had no charges laid against them. While the regulations may have been lax, the same regulations were there for everyone and Quinn operated within them. Have you a source for Quinn’s being asked to appoint an external auditor and refusing??
2. Regulator refused to do anything about Quinn’s underreserving – Errrm, I think he might have. See my previous 2 posts.
Instead of providing any proof or specific examples of how he got special treatment from the department of finance and previous government:
“Mr Quinn was well got with Bertie Ahern and later with Brian Cowen.”
I won’t justify that little gem with a response
“Elderfield had to act and there were political efforts to dissuade him” – let me guess no proof of these political efforts either?.
“In the good times foreign non-life insurers refused to enter the Irish market due to the regulatory favouritism shown to Mr. Quinn and Quinn Insurance. ”
Now you’re just making up bare-faced lies. Not only did Aviva, Chartis and Travellers enter since 2000, how you could possibly know the reason for other insurers staying out is beyond me. You’ve about as much proof of this as you do it was quinn’s power and wealth that gave him the regulatory carte blanche that you’ve alluded to but been unable to support. If you’re responding I want you to address these points that you’ve made up and not just brush over them.
Before you retired, I hope you represented your clients with more reliance on the facts than you seem to do here.
Well said!. It will be interesting to hear Peter Richardson’;s response to this one.
Australia.
He’s as out of touch as the shower running this country…..didn’t deserve it….like the thousands of people who don’t deserve to be homeless, jobless or living in poverty because of yours and others greed…
Lorraine,
Can you explain how Sean Quinn is at fault for the homelessness and poverty in Ireland? As well as the unemployment problem in Ireland. The Quinn Group created thousands of jobs with Sean Quinn at the helm. I think if Sean was part of the “shower running this country”, he would not have ended up in jail. Sean Quinn created wealth in the border region, one of the most economically deprived areas in Ireland.
He was there because he would not comply with the court does he think he’s above all that?anyway 100% of prisoners think they shouldn’t be there.
Derek, I think you’re the only respondent who got the article :) Well done :)) Your spot on, he didn’t comply with the Court, and I 100% agree with you, he should comply like everyone else.
Can you not get into into your head that he cannot comply with the court orders to get back the assets. Kenny and Hayes could not do so, how could Quinn? Incidentally, if Anglo had proper security on them, how could the Quinns have moved them?
Separately, James Reilly did not comply with a court order. He is not in jail or had his massive salary cut/
Yes thy all said thy should not have been there either lol
“I certainly felt I shouldn’t be there, after creating 7,000 jobs, after never in my life owing anybody a penny. Never in my life did I steal a penny or take a penny that didn’t belong to me”
Laugh out loud quinners .. “Didnt Steal” just moved the goalposts on what was no longer yours to russia you bankrupt git
Blobert,
You understand that the Quinns did not borrow a penny from Anglo to buy those assets. That there is a serious issue regarding the validity of the loans issued by Anglo in order to prop up “Anglo’s” share price. And when that case is heard and the loans are found to be illegal, Sean Quinn will be proved correct.
Tom – the relevancy of how contractual the loans were, and the intricies of said.. the countrys insurance fund is Fu%ked for years to come all because of one mans greed .. not mine not yours, but Mr “i only gamble €5 a week quinn”
Get real .. the loans whether legitimate or not were to the betterment of his or his kids empires, he lost said empire and gladly so.. Pity the insurance fund wont recover but never the less he should give back his assets that the money was used for.. The end !!
Tell him create 7 million jobs, and my socialist attitude wont change towards him or his cronies up north !!
Blobert,
I really don’t mean to offend. But you point in essense is it doesn’t matter the facts. Because you are a socialist you are right and your opinion will never change.
Yep – Im always right about the quinns not borrowing a penny from Anglo..
The money was just wheel barrowed in by the fairies, and the empire grew larger from imaginary money that was Contractually signed for by the Socialist trolls of 86 .. twas a good year that ..
Your counter argument is weak, has no facts and is severely flawed – back to the drawing board buddy !
And just to add, im not 100% a socialist – Just on this occasion have a socialist attitude towards how 1 man can bring an entire country to its knees.
Im all for capitalism, just as long as it doesn’t fu&k an entire economy up in the man time !
I guess you could say i sit somewhere on the fence..
Blobert,
I had decided I wasn’t going to bother replying to you. But I take it that you are referring to Sean Fitzpatrick there? If not I might want to rethink.
So Blobert…. Not only are you a socialist , but your statement about “cronies up North” makes you also sound like a bigot !!!!
Equal justice for all eh!!!!!!
Sounding like a bigot and being a bigot are opposite sides of the river unfortunately.. Although it is only the northern counties that we hear the cheer for quinn and his cohorts, i fully apologise if you think i was brandishing everyone up that end.
Im sure from all corners of the country hatred lies deep for this character !
And ive no objections to anyone from Anglo going to jail as well Tom for their part, i see another well formed counter – argument.
Adieu
I’m obviously not a ‘fan’ of Seanie, nor condone any form of fraud, but I feel some people are jumping on the blame wagon. Granted he is a causation of problems, fiscally, but why are people only shouting about it now? Why didn’t anyone shout when Charlie had his £200 tie’s? Why didn’t anyone shout when Bertie was brought to the Mahon Tribunal, questioned, and (tearfully) walked? Why not shout then? Is this shouting not similar to a petulant child? If a child sulks, and behave’s badly, and nothing is done…then his/her brother continue’s the behaviour, why come down like a ton of bricks on the brother? Monkey see’s, Monkey does….that’s the way this country is run, I blame no-one, but ourselves (and agree with Tom and Colm)
At Blobert..’how one man can bring a country to it’s knees’. Seriously?? I think you have overestimated Quinn’s power….
I repeat to the Quinn bashers:
HAVE YOU FORGOTTEN THAT QUINN OFFERED 2.8 BILLION THE THE STATE-FACT?
That is not a fact and you know it so stop shouting like a lunatic!
It is a matter of public record, I suggest that you do some research before any more rants from you.
Have you calmed down there rusty? He could not in any way have paid the state that money. He did not have it and could not have taken it from Quinn Direct. He has been using this to divert attention constantly.
I will repeat that again for you. He could not have paid that money in any way, shape or form, as it would have left Quinn Direct high and dry which would probably have been illegal.
I’m no expert in insurance companies but I think you need some money in the bank. If not, I’ll be setting up Heathen Insurances tomorrow and if you get in an accident well tough, I can’t pay out because I spent all the money!
The Heathen,
You say he could not have paid back the money. I have one question. Could it of worked out any worse? Sean had a proven track record in running businesses successfully. With regards the insurance. The industry had increases in the average claim cost in the UK. An insurance company counteracts this by increasing premiums of on new policies. Instead Quinn Direct stopped writing policies in the UK market. They reduced the staff in Quinn Direct in the UK market. The UK market is quite aggressive. Accident management companies are prevalent and car hire costs and solicitor costs can get out of hand very easily. The claims process of Quinn Direct settled clients out of court. But with the reduction in staff, staff members had too many claims to effectively deal with them and claims costs increased further.
So you say there was no way he could pay the money back. What I say is what was the harm in letting him try? He has proved people wrong time and again.
The Capitolist in me says yes.. let him try
but the legal eagle states that if you have no money and your assets cover the loans that you have taken (legal or otherwise) they must go to pay what is owed..
And happily that is what happened (nearly)
The end !
Blobert,
There was a business plan which was found feasible by one of the largest banks in the world. So all the legal issues were addressed.
Was this the same bank that approved his business model of undercutting his insurance competition which resulted in the shortfall that will need to be covered by the Irish population possibly until i retire ?? If so, im not going to hold this so called bank in a high regard despite what name it has over the door..
Banks cant be trusted – Dont you know this by now ??
THe Heathen, how do you know that he could not have paid it back? The best predictor of future behaviour is past behaviour and SEAN QUINN’S RECORD IN BUSINESS IS SECOND TO NONE AND HE ALWAYS REPAID ANYTHING THAT HE BORROWED AND WAS PREPARED TO DO SO IN THIS CASE DESPITE THE FACT THAT HE DID ASK FOR THE 2.3 BILLION.
So now, perhaps you would like to explain to us all how the selected strategy is working with regard to value for the taxpayers.
Blobert,
That’s the socialist in you. Why would you need to know how to do business? But just to inform you that you don’t need a bank to approve a business plan. You need a business plan to get a loan from a bank but that won’t work for an insurance company. You say banks can’t be trusted. So we don’t trust the opinion of one of the largest bank’s in the world that the business plan was viable. In the same way that the cabinet went against the opinion of one of the largest bank’s in the world not to guarantee Irish banks. Advice they had paid for. And then because banks cannot be trusted we hand an insurance company to Anglo. Anglo can always be trusted of course.
I find it hard to understand how the justice system is dealing with him far quicker than dealing with the bankers etc. I hate to say it but maybe he’s the whistleblower the country needs…. Just a thought.
He’s the scape-goat, the human diversion, the fall-guy that Anglo and the government prayed for. They never expected him to stand up for himself. They expected him to lie down and die. He has taken the heat off them for so long, but their disguises are running thin and we’ll soon know who the real culprits and cowards are in this debacle.
Scooby Doo?
Y.F. I challenge you to reveal your identity and the precise nature of your agenda.
Peter,
You’re on the wrong thread. This is not a dating site.
Y.F. Still smiling at the not a dating site comment! If you knew how old I am, you would also be amused. If I could give you more green thumbs, I would. My wife cackled when I showed her your comment. She thinks that I am not yet extinct.
Peter,
Your own identity is quite masked also……..
Maybe you’ve already encountered some of loonies too…..our only similarity
haha like your style Y.F. Very funny, get real Mr Richardson Y.F. is not on the stand, this is a thread, keep it as real as is possible in such circumstances! Agenda!! What are you smoking?
Reminds me of Shawshank Redemption quote – “everybody in here is innocent”
Good old Seanie DuQuinn
He’s as aloof as the shower running this country……
Speaking of showers, I wonder if the soap ever fell….
Daniel,
As much as I disagree with the opinion of a number of posters, at least the majority of the comments do not belong in the gutter.
Is this Quinn fella for real, 100 per cent of prisoners behind him, o were sorry sean we were wrong to jail you. There was a TV show on a few years ago show me the money, well Quinn when will you show the money.You have a neck like a jockeys arse.
So100 per cent of prison inmates felt that Sean Quinn shouldn’t be there. But it is precisely because of the their own attitudes that they now reside in prison.
The majority of the above people who have posted will have egg on their faces when the whole truth comes out about anglos dodgy dealings.
And how these same dealings are proved in Quinns share buying why do Ye think this bank & the govt don’t want an enquiries as this will be proven if there is & this will have to be looked into when The Quinn Family take their action against anglo/Irish Govt.
Everybody knows Anglo are in the wrong.
Quinn is too.
Get with the programme.
Two wrongs, Quinn & Anglo, don’t make a right.
Freshen up with the latest!
I wonder do any of Lord Quinn’s adoring peasents even know what a CFD is?
Brendan, I resent being called a peasant just because I took the time to find out the answers. But then you probably believe that insult is the best defense in an indefensible situation.
Haters gonna hate…..
It’s late there.
I’d get married again if I could only have the €100,000.00 wedding cake one of his daughters had flown over from NY.
His ‘fables’ must’ve had the real crims in prison agog! I’m sure they think he’s a real hero!
Bless ‘em!
Méalainí,
You know a great way to divert from the fact that your knowledge of the entire saga is very limited is to re-hash the old wedding cake story….. guaranteed to get a few green thumbs for you anyway
Y.F the wedding cake is illustrative of the crass, ostentatious and spendthrift ways of a family which had lost the plot. You still have not revealed your identity and the precise nature of your agenda. Why exactly do you seek to defend Mr. Quinn. Did you ever derive any financial benefit directly or indirectly from The Quinn empire?
Peter,
I have had a huge interest in this story from the start and believe that it stinks. The smell is not coming from Quinn…..but we will all learn that in the year ahead. I refuse to reveal my identity because there are bullies on this site, and people who reveal quite threatening behaviour when there is a difference in opinion. I also, have absolutely no reason to pander to your requests. Good day to you.
@ Y.F. , enough said, that is your privilege. I gave you a green thumb for the not a dating site remark. It was funny although it did not exactly add to your credibility. I will name you the “devils’s advocate”. Chuckling. Neatly side stepped on your part.
Peter, I am still waiting for answers to my questions or do you need to know my identity also?
Quinn thinks cause he created 7000 jobs he’s immune from the Law… His problem was he got too greedy. He build up a 2 billion euro business over 30 years, then tried to double it in 3 years. He did get hoodwinked by Fitzpatrick, but the State now own the back and it’s debt so now it’s time to pay. In fairness I would probably try hide the cash too, but that doesn’t mean I would expect sympathy.
i’m glad he is bankrupt.
why are the Quinn family the only people been persued by the courts. Could it be, because Quinn is the only Irish man willing to take the banks , the regulator and government to court? eh!
In this country it is been demonstrated that old money does’nt like new money.
Exactly Thomas, could you blame the man for standing up against a corrupt system where the perpetrators are still in full control.
Get it right there John: A corrupt man standing up to a corrupt system. It’s much like changing the mileage on a car and then selling it, only to realise you’ve been given counterfeit money. A joke!
The Heathen,
The perpetrators I meant were Anglo.
It seems insane to me that our country is relying on the same people who caused the problem, to rectify the problem.
In the words of Einstein ‘You cannot solve a problem from the same consciousness that created it’
Enough said.
I bet 100% of the inmates thought they should not be there either #loadofcock
I doubt he was even near the majority of the prison population, I say he was kept in a secure area away from most prisoners.
Would that be because he was not a criminal? And incidentally, the contempt was not proven.
What????
Rusty, what do you mean the contempt wasn’t proven? They had video evidence of the Quinns talking about defying the court order!
Must have cost him a fortune..
The case brought by the family is a separate matter -if there is one thing clear it’s that the judiciary are not corrupt -I’ll go with Ms Justice Dunne’s view – she actually heard the evidence
@ Mike, I can’t understand why you received any red thumbs for that reasonable comment. Odd.
Judge Hardiman felt that Ms Dunne was incorrect in her judgement. Whilst maybe not corrupt, one would have to question why someone of Hardiman’s intellect and experience would be so adamant against her decision….
@ CB, only a part of the Ms. Justice Dunne judgement was overturned by the Supreme Court on a different aspect, and not the core contempt issue. Why else did Mr. Quinn and his son serve prison time for contempt?
@ PR(Anglo’s?), Hardiman disagreed with all of Dunne’s views…in fact he dissented. As you have stated that you are a retired lawyer (and work in a hospice charitably), you know that Sir Hardiman is most often correct.
If Quinn got along so well with his fellow inmates perhaps the State could arrange a renewal of this touching friendship.
They have to get up early tomorrow for work.
Haha.How out of reality he really is,I suppose as well that all the prisoners are not guilty(according to them)..Yr Honour,I’m innocent
The man is a fool and a liar and should be still behind bars with his friends.
Great to see he’s made a few buddies in there, that’ll be handy for his next visit.
ah here leave it out
Some people on here, should be ashamed of themselves! Defending the Quinns with passion, while people suffer Austerity to pay their gambling debts. Go and demand justice for your fellow man and yourselves, instead of filthy rich cronies! Shame on you all, no wonder we are where we are!
Once again Stephen, Quinn offered to pay 2.8 billion to the State even though 2.3 billion of that was advanced illegally to prop up the share price of Anglo.
Rusty, at the time he offered to pay the 2.8 billion his Insurance company was under-reserved and losing hundreds of millions a year.
There was absolutely no way he would have been able to pay the money back, regardless of what he said he would do.
@rusty , still trying to peddle the worn story that he offered to repay 2.8bn , without explaining that the plan included him receiving over 600 million more in funding , and no interest paid for 8 years , he admits himself that by then he had already had to step down as chairman for the insurance group for his unacceptable handling of company reserves and was rightly fined millions for that , and yet you think they were going to take another gamble , give him millions more and magically his delusional plans would all work out , would you get real , besides how questionable is the mans judgement when he berthed entire business and lost on CFDs , and finally why agree to repay 2.8bn if you don’t believe you owe that money at all ?
Offering to pay and actually being ABLE to pay are 2 different things… The fact that Quinn and his supporters continue to peddle this nonsense speaks volumes.
They must all share the same brain cell..
They have jobs to go to tomorrow.
“God between us and small farms”Can someone who supports Sean Quinn please explain how Hotels and golf courses in England,The same in Prague and a shopping mall/office block in RUSSIA? was going to help the lovely loyal god fearing people of the Northwest.Was he planning on taking everyone of you away and giving you jobs overseas?
Anne,
You sound incredibly bitter.
What right have you to assume that any one man is going to spend his life making it his business to see that every penny he spends, or makes, is in Ireland? Or that he would have any onus on him to make sure that any employment he created was kept with the Irish?
You seem to have a great chip on your shoulder, I hope it doesn’t weigh you down too much!
He’s a scape goat for our corrupt bankers & government end of, someone had to take fall. The months ahead will be interesting
He’s not a scapegoat….just a goat….bleating on and on….
If I was in prison and my cellmate was known to be hiding billions of Euros/Pounds/Roubles/Swiss Francs in assets I would be 100% in support of him as well. I cover your ass, you cover mine kind of thing.
I’m of the opinion that I’ll wait and see what happens in the case between The Quinn family and Anglo, before I judge anyone..
Let’s say hypothetically, the Quinn family win their case against Anglo….
And the courts say that Anglo must return their companies and assets to them.
Quinn insurance. SOLD
Pubs and Hotels. SOLD
Quinn Cement (now for sale) SOLD.
Now if Anglo have to repay the Quinn family for the companies , plus loss of earnings & compensation………
Who do you think is gonna have to pick up the bill for that one????
Now I wonder why the DPP keeps putting that case back, and why it’s taking so long for them to charge Seanie and David etc???
Why spend millions on an asset recovery agent in Russia, and not chase Mr. Drumm and Seanie for their loans ???
I’m more worried about the train wreck coming down the line if the Quinns are proved right…. And the eventual cost to Joe Public!!!!
The contempt I have for this man knows no bounds. Every time I read a quote attributed to him I get angry.
They have anger management classes in the city centre starting next Monday…..Poor you.
why
The birth of a new religion,Quinnism!!! Some of the hardcore Quinn supporters are as bad as fundamental Christians.Scary stuff indeed.
Lock him up and never let the f**ker out!!! Stupid fool. The family is a bunch if thieves !
Can you back that allegation up jack with some facts please?
Well Sean Quinn is happy that 100% of the inmates recognised he should not be there. Yes, all criminals serving their sentence.What about the criminals who believe he SHOULD be there? The difference between the two sets is that the first are serving their time, the second never will. Do we honestly believe that Quinn is responsible for the whole mess of Anglo? What about all the other big movers and shakers who laughed their way out of responsibility and blame with humongous pensions, pay offs and golden handshakes? What about the government parties who cosied up to Anglo in the good times, and bailed their cronies out before the big bang? Regardless of how people feel about Quinn, he is, and always will be, a tiny proportion of a huge problem that has never been faced in this corrupt country we live in.
Stop please. Over 2 billion is NOT tiny! His supporters constantly tell us there are worse out there and there probably are, but 2.4 billion is huge and a wreckless gamble we will be paying for generations!
The Heathen, can you source where exactly you read this about his supporters or was it in slumberland?
Rusty – To quote yourself from 7 minutes ago ‘He was jailed at the behest of Anglo, the most corrupt bank of all times’. I could find many more just from this site. How’s the goldfish bowl?
TheHeathen,
I replied to one of your comments up near the top regarding this. Take a look. I think I make some fair points.
The Heathen, this is not what you said so stop detracting.
the arrogance of this weasel continues to astound. 7000 jobs big deal. how much profit was made off these 7000 people and how many are now claiming the dole. Quinn stop playing the country fool
Well said David
“The bankrupt businessman Sean Quinn” – just curious but is he going home to a 3 bed semi?
He is going home to the house that his children built and own as Sean Quinn does not own anything. Satisfied?
I’m sure the hundreds of millions in the east will be some consolation to him all the same, Rusty.
And so what if his assets in the east do come as a consolation, he earned it, didnt he! Not really understanding why most people on this thread appear so bitter, Sean Quinn did not wreck the Irish economy, the Irish need to take a look at themselves. They over borrowed mostly for lavish homes they didnt need, I mean what family with one child needs a massive five bed property with a couple of acres of land? There after look to the banks and political leaders and you will find your answer. The Irish love to see a rich man go down, doesn’t matter if its the wrong rich man!
Crumbs from the Quinn table and people will do and say anything
Ha ha ha, this Quinn saga just gets better and better, I can’t wait for the movie, it’ll be hilarious! Shame Leslie Nielson isn’t around to play Quinn!!!
They couldn’t make a movie on this whole saga, no one would believe it.
If one was to use his logic – ie a simple man from Cavan. Then why was he so addicted to money and power? Or was it his family who convinced him to persue the addiction to money. When you see the lengths his family are prepared to go to hide assets just to feed their addiction it wouldn’t surprise me if his own family bullied him into his gambling habit. Problem now is we pay for their addiction like the junkies in the Joy.
Where did you get that he was addicted to money and power? From anything I have seen it was an addiction to success, and a refusal to give up, That is what he is doing now. He wants success and he won’t give up until he gets it.
I believe he will succeed and a lot of people will have very ‘eggy’ faces.
With regards your theory on his family bullying him into gambling…..Quinn was taking risks, yes, but he was not gambling. He was investing in a bank (CFD’s or not), given the positive position he had shown the bank accounts to be in. These accounts seem to have been fabricated to entice anyone with money to invest, which is what he did. If you take the cooked books as the basis of the investment, you could wonder about the validity of said investment.
Yes, we are paying for Anglo’s debt of 33+ billion, but that has nothing to do with Quinn. His debt was a private one, with a private bank.
There are criminals and liars running the country people who claim it’s unlawful to touch agreements about this and that when it concerns them but swan away when it comes others
How come the bankers are not in the dock yet let’s see if they get there will a different story be revealed .Mr Quinn is guilty of something I think but let’s see what before he is crucified
Yeah!! We’re all innocent in the Joy!! Absolute bullshit!!
Wow 100 percent of the convicts thought he shouldn’t be there. What a vote of confidence. A hell of a mandate.
100% of the padeos, rapists, and murders he spoke with thought he was a great guy. Is that a good thing?
Of course sure how many of the inmates are paying tax.!!!
An interview with the inmates would sort this mess out.
Nobody in jail is guilty though. Just ask them.
Of course he isnt guilty…. they all say that…. if not gultiy why hide money in off shore accounts……
I seem to notice at least 27 or so people always “dislike” any anti Quinn post, so that’s there way of jumping to defense of the indefensible.
Do you have an agenda Kieron. Seems strange that you would go to this bother.
That’s ironic given that you are choosing to go to the ‘effort’ of replying to anti-Quinn comments. Clearly you’re the one with an agenda Rusty.
What did one criminal say to the other??
I’m innocent. I didn’t do it!!!!
Dont know the significance of your remark as Sean Quinn is not a criminal. He was in jail on a civil matter.
Is that mean’t to be funny. It didn’t work. It was a disgusting comment.
100 % of inmates also feel that they shouldn’t be in there….
easy to happily travel on down the road to Looneyville when you have the majority of a small provincial banjo playing town to walk the yellow brick road with you.
Why is the Journal allowing posts which when brought to the attention of legal teams representing S. Fitzpatrick and indeed S. Quinn will without doubt affect future legal proceedings.
@ John Roche, is a criminal prosecution pending or envisaged against Mr. Quinn? How does the issue of possible prejudice arise?
We dont know whats pending. All I can see is that S. Fitzpatrick W. McAteer P. Whealan any of the so called maple 10 or S. Quinn can easily argue if any criminal proceedings do arise that they cannot get a fair trial. How can any potential juror say after all thats been published and is being published that they havent got a view one way or the other.
@ John Roche, you misunderstand the nature of potential prejudice. If or when Mr. Quinn is arraigned for a criminal offence, then it will behove the media to be circumspect.
The chances that any poster or reader of posts on the Journal will be called for Jury duty seems remote and no doubt if that happens, the prospective juror will be excused.
Did I not see S. Fitzs name mentioned. This entire thing is all related. Keep at it and then complain when extremely competent legal teams acting on behalf of defendants take the entire thing apart.
@ John Roche, well we can agree on the fact that one way or the other none of the criminal prosecutions will actually secure convictions for commission of criminal offences.
There are 5 main reasons, evidential, procedural and substantive why the DPP and the ODCE will not prove their cases to the requisite standard of proof.
That said, the exposure of the roles of the bankers, professionals, regulators, politicians and the inner group of privileged business people, including the Maple 10, may prove to be informative, cathartic and even useful in a pathological analysis of what went so badly wrong. The banking implosion was cataclysmic, morally reprehensible and the ordinary citizens of this country are the primary victims.
The Quinn family are vigorously defended by various groups and a jury drawn from at least 5 counties in Ireland would never convict Mr. Quinn of any criminal offence.
I see nothing in any of the posts which would prejudice Mr. Fitzpatrick or his co-defendants.
God love their innocence – these guys, many of whom are a product of cyclical social disadvantage and exclusion obviously aren’t used to seeing fellow criminals in suits. Perhaps if he had donned a balaclava in advance of his arrival, this might have assisted in his integration.
Or a pair of Mickey Mouse boxers!
Oh, sorry! That was done before!
No doubt Seanie’s Mountjoy “Supporters’ Club” would have the same contempt for the courts and the system of law as Sean himself would seem to enjoy. Might that be an indicator why they are all in there?? It ain’t rocket science, it’s called “the law”, and it applies to EVERY citizen of the Republic. At least, it bloody well should!!
From what I heard he had a very easy time in the doss house that is the Training Unit. He’s a very good card player and fitted quite well in ‘prison’ ;)
what is your point? a good man within fools
I think that most people are missing the point. Sympathy for an older man who’s not committed a violent crime and isn’t a danger to society I can understand. Insisting that the entire judicial system is actually wrong because it’s finding that someone you like is in contempt of court? Thankfully the court system in this country is based on evidence and law and not on popular opinion is all I can say and thankfully, and contrary to what people might believe based on discussions on these forums, we live in a free country, so people are entitled to their own opinion.
It’s not about whether he is or isn’t guilty, if he’s not found guilty by the same court system that would prosecute anyone else in the same position, then fine, but to deliberately stop that court system, that we’re all answerable to, from doing their job by hiding assets that may or may not turn out to be rightfully his and by not cooperating in general (ie being in contempt of court, which is the only reason he was in prison, he could have purged that contempt at any time)? It’s just not honest and the crocodile tears are just manipulating ordinary people into creating a PR campaign that sees a man who has yet to be convicted, into some kind of working man’s messiah! A working man’s messiah who still, from what I see of him in the news, still has a very lavish lifestyle!
You might actually realise the court system here is not fair . Can you tell me the difference between “guilty ” and ” not guilty “. Why can’t you say your innocent ?
I’m sure most inmates feel that they shouldn’t be there !!
Dam right
If he had pulled it all off he would have been able to Lord it over the rest of Ireland too. Not just humble Cavan. Then we could all thank him and agree with him outside penal institutions also.
Obviously not David, cretins of the highest order, can they not separate the jobs creation from the greed, not to mention they shed load of money made by the Quinn family, these jobs were not charity, and speculation that followed on Quinn’s part, it’s called getting too big for your boots. Sad.
bring back hanging and tourture
Torture already exists. THe Quinn family have been tortured for the last three years and they are still standing.
Sean Quinn should not be the focus of animosity, he has provided huge employment, started careers. He’s ruined now, his family are ruined. But he was apparently a great boss. What about Tom Mc Feely? Walking away scot free, having built the infamous Priory hall? He’s still living the life. He’s destroyed lives and put families in danger. Yet he still walks free? There is no justice in Ireland! The judiciary system stinks.
How many jobs does someone need to create so that they can ignore the law?
Is it a sliding scale or is there some minimum threshold to be reached?
The Quinn and Anglo fiasco is just a distraction , making people turn on each other without knowing all the facts , only facts we know is what’s been written in the local “rags”
Since “we” bailed out the financial institutions , are we now official shareholders ? If so , where are my share certificates ?
Around 200 Quinn damming comments and counting on this thread alone?
Where is “Anti Vitriol” Bruton and Varadker tonight?
Are they just not that bothered when it’s not one of their own, that’s getting the abuse?
Ah sean 100% of inmates think they should not be in there!!! Idiot
Sure there back in court next week for episode ? Well to be honest I couldn’t care less but thought I would comment sure the family are having a party for the poor man the weekend ! Bless now isn’t that nice hope there paying taxes for the big turkey leg they kept him blah blah !!! God love the rest if us :)
Awh god love you, did you build up a massive successful business, give yourself and your family a better life and provide jobs for over 7000 people? How do you know they had Turkey? What did you have? Or are you going to give it the poor mouth and pretend you had no Christmas dinner, cos of oul Sean Quinn or was it really cos the dole didnt come over the holidays or you drank it all celebrating the demise of the man… …. Such jealousy in a person is a turn off really
What a foolish thing to say. Most criminals also claim they are innocent.
Get Johnny Short of Cash to sing it in russian.
ColmH, it wont happen. The only way it would of happened is if Sean Quinn cried foul the second the money from the loan he signed for was used to prop up the Anglo shares ( which he owned over 20%). He did not. Proping up the shares was a benefit to him & he only cried foul when the loan was called in.
9 x (Mj) = 500m…..happy days!
To the fanatical and obdurate supporters of Sean Quinn, I suggest you read Simon Carswell’s factual and informative ” Anglo Irish Republic”, then read the judgements of the High Court which are on the Courts.ie website. Reading this material may help to reduce level of the cognitive confusion and even dissonance suffered by Mr. Quinn’s gombeen supporters.
When all is revealed the anonymous supporters of Mr Quinn, who roar as lions in their posts will slink away like mice through the floor boards. Sadly, I think that some of the more ardent supporters have been gullible enough to swallow Mr. Quinn’s dishonest PR.
The hilarious thing is that since yesterday, a slightly chastened Mr. Quinn has belatedly admitted more culpability in relation to his dishonest, evasive and contemptuous asset disposals than even his defenders/ supporters are wiling to concede in their posts on the article above. In a way, we all have a slightly affectionate if puzzled attitude to the chancers and the gombeen men who cravenly defend them as willy O’dea does in his Zebedee like pop up protestations of support for Micheal Martin.
So on with you lads and persist in describing black as white. When the full extent of Sean Quinn’s miscreancy becomes known, your entry as lions roaring will give way to you looking like mice slinking out through the floor boards.
Nicely worded!
Mr Richardson,
I can assure you that I am neither fanatical, nor obdurate. I have read both Carwell’s book, and the judgements. I cannot speak for any other Quinn supporter, but I can assure you that I am not blindly supporting anybody. I am aware of many of the intricate details of the case. I have also read http://anglothetruth.files.wordpress, which I can strongly recommend to you sir. I refuse to believe the Anglo-led propaganda that has been pushed on us over the last 2 years, and read it with a very open mind. Quinn surprises people in his interviews because he is honest and his integrity is hard to miss. You may well find yourself ‘slinking out through the floorboards’ yourself Mr Richardson.
@ Peter Richardson That is a well written piece but I am a Quinn supporter and after reading your comments about Quinn supporters being “gombeens”, “obdurate”, “fanatical” and “chancers” I thought I might reply to you. I also read Simon Carwell’s book. It is a factual book, but he deals with bare facts – he shies away from mentioning that Anglo propped up their share price for example, but I suppose he has to wait until Quinn’s case gets to court….
I am in no way condoning that fact that Quinn went against a court order, but I can see why he did it. Quinn owed an undisputed €455m, which when you take into account the windfarms, factories, hotels and pubs which Anglo has already seized, that debt is well paid off. Quinn was told not to touch the foreign assets by a court BUT Anglo were allowed to take them over, just like they took over the company he had built up over the past 40 years. Anglo showed Quinn falsified accounts. Do you think Quinn would have invested so heavily in Anglo if he had known the full story?
Sean Quinn has lost everything. It is in noone’s self interest to stand up for this man. It is definately in noone’s interest to put their necks on the line for this man (by this I mean employees of Quinn Group)…..but yet there are a lot of people who “cravenly defend” him. Why Mr Richardson? He has no PR company, unlike IBRC who leaked details of the infamous cake the week thousands went to a rally in support of Quinn…. Is it that we can see that what has happened to this man and his family is totally unfair. He is somehow the scapegoat for this whole banking collapse.
You say you are a retired solicitor. Look into all the facts Mr Richardson. Watch the IBRC PR machine at work. The majority of the public only have a sketching knowledge of the facts. There is a really interesting story here – but Quinn, although not blameless, is not the villan!
On an aside……I think you have blown it now with Y.F…….lol
Aoife Quinn to Miriam O “I like to pretend I’m an investigative journalist” Callaghan on contracts,
“I didn’t know what I was signing”, nearly choked mid munch on a slice a pizza when she uttered that, even the dog stopped scratchin himself, he doesn’t understand contract law, I’m sure of it, but for a minute there I got the distinct impression he understood more about it than the illustrious Aoife “Daddy made me do it” Quinn.
I wonder would the VEC consider giving my dog a student grant with a view to his acquiring a college education?
I’m sure at a genetic level
@ MDBS I am sure that Aoife Quinn wishes she did read all the legal documents sent down from Quinn Group Head Office, but you have to remember that this was a huge company, and if people who they trusted advised them to sign documents, they signed them.
Okay Cara, perhaps we should agree to differ.
I have to go now and hand out some magic marshmallows for the fairies that are currently gathering in my backyard, they have little wings and do magic tricks.
@PR – I don’t think anyone here has claimed Quinn has done no wrong.
But I’ll take your point and ignore Quinn’s “dishonest PR”, and instead use your unsupported and unsupportable “facts” to form my opinion on these matters. Wouldn’t want to be accused of being a mouse without the cognitive faculties to be able to analyse the situation in a balanced fashion.
P.S. If you’re considering coming out of retirement, I have a feeling Alan Dukes might like the cut of your jib – made up nonsense passed off as fact. Leonine attributes that we should all strive towards.
I have not heard him complain about Mountjoy. Diaappointed?
Awww diddums, I suppose they all said they were innocent aswell.
The arrogance. I’m not sure whats worse, the Quinn family or those backwards biddys supporting him from the bog.
Definitely the backwards biddys. They exist all over the country, supporting the local hero no matter what he does, so long as the locals win and Dublin loses. They are the reason politics is so deeply flawed in this country.
Im not from the bog and I support him. I think you make things sound very simple Mr Murphy and massively erroneous. The politics of your country depends upon its people, collectively, that would be you included sir.. Dublin is losing every day of the week, its a shit hole, ridden with crime and corruptions, that is the real flaw of this country.
I don’t think I am being overly simple, Occam’s razor and all that. We see it too many times.
Michael Lowry in Tipperary
Mick Wallace in Wexford
The Healy-Raes in Kerry
The Flynns in Mayo
And now we see the apologists out in force for Quinn.
Pray tell, Rosie, whats your excuse for supporting Quinn?
Poor ole Seanie!! Victim of this despicable countries ethics!!
And I suppose 100% of the criminals protested their own innocence also…
Hi Hugh…
My initial comment was deleted ??
Me too. Four comments gone. They must be robbing them and trading them in the Joy for cigarettes. Or maybe the lawyers and politicos on this page are reporting the comment, stealing our witticisms and recycling them in court as their own. Same principal. Journal.ie needs to send out an email if they redact. I have screen shots of mine from 20.08.
Mine too. My comment was mild compared to some of these comments on this subject. ???
His only crime……. Breaking the law.
What law did he break ? Where is the crime?
Contempt of court- like it says in the article, and in nearly all of the comments. Don’t pretend you didn’t know, and don’t pretend he didn’t know either!
:(
Poor Sean Quinn. Such a victim. Imagine being sent to prison for such a minor offence as breaking the law? Next time, Seanie, OBEY THE LAW. Then you won’t end up in prison.
Colm what court case are you on about. The case is the IBRC against the Quinns for hiding global assets which were to be sold to pay off the money they owe the people of this country that they lost through fraud!! Sean Quinn entered an illegal share inflation scheme with his buddies in Anglo Irish Bank, a fraudulent illegal scheme that would have paid him handsomely if it was carried out, but he was caught like the criminal he is. He signed a €2bn loan with Anglo for this fraud, The bank went bust, the bank was taken over by the Irish government, our money was used to prop up the bank. He still owes us the €2bn euro. He then tried to hide assets which belong to us not him. You dont get free money colm!!! He illegally gambled and lost and now is like a spoiled child expecting pity! Your whole comment makes no sense and is ridiculous!
I suppose their all innocent in there as well ! Never commited any offences ! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
People have gone to jail for a lot less. Of course 100 % of inmates agree with you as they themselves are like you, in there for the same very reason. They too committed a crime.
LOL 100% of convicted criminals believed Quinn should not me in prison, no doubt they believe they shouldn’t be in prison either. Let them all free and let’s see the state of Ireland’s already crippled society deteriorate. Yeah right, lock the doors and throw away the keys.
He was used as a scapegoat.
Mine too. Was a mild comment compared to some of the comments on this subject. ???
The dogs bark, but the caravan moves on…
U never stole a penny wat about 100000 euro wedding cake and much more and yes u did deserve to be there u were found in contempt of court why the hell does creating jobs make u immune from the law Sean
@ jim kiernan and rusty9: terrible punctuation (who’s, whose, commas, etc) from people who have self-proclaimed relatively higher IQ than the majority.
Love the “Mountjoy Redemption” reference…Everybody is innocent in prision, or hadn’t you heard?
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