A WARRANT FOR the arrest of Peter Darragh Quinn, the nephew of Ireland’s former richest man Seán Quinn, remains in place this morning, Gardaí have confirmed.
The whereabouts of the 34-year-old remains unknown.
The arrest warrant was issued yesterday by Justice Elizabeth Dunne after he failed to appear at the High Court, where he was jailed for three months for contempt of court.
Peter Darragh, along with his cousin Seán Quinn Jr, was sentenced for failing to comply with court orders telling them to cease an asset-stripping programme at the family property group. The pair were described in court as evasive with Judge Dunne ordering them to reverse the steps they had taken to put assets out of reach of the Irish Bank Resolution Company (IBRC), formerly known as Anglo Irish Bank.
According to reports from the courts, lawyers for IBRC said the three men seemed to be willing to go to jail for a short time in order to hang onto €500 million in assets. Seán Junior was taken to Mountjoy Prison yesterday to start his 90-day term.
Peter Darragh did not turn up for the hearing, telling his solicitor that he was unwell. The Irish Examiner reports that the former Fermanagh footballer swore an affidavit to his lawyer at 3am on Friday, before his planned court appearance.
Gardaí have sent descriptions of the businessman to officers on duty at ports and have asked international partners, such as Interpol, for assistance. They are also investigating reports that he has crossed the border to his usual place of residence in Fermanagh.
U.TV reports that he has been out of contact since 10.40am Friday.
Seán Quinn Senior is expected to launch a Supreme Court challenge early next week in an attempt to overturn yesterday’s sensational ruling. He has three months to comply with the court orders to reverse the asset-stripping scheme.
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