Quinn family granted Anglo trial transcripts for civil case

This report is a localnews.ie summary based on public court reporting and records; sources are listed below.

The family of businessman Sean Quinn were granted transcripts of the criminal trial of three former Anglo Irish Bank executives for use in civil proceedings. The proceedings were reported on 28 October 2014.

Judge Martin Nolan granted the transcripts on receipt of payment of the issuing costs. On 28 October 2014, Michael Staines, solicitor for Pat Whelan and William McAteer, said his clients agreed to release on an undertaking that the transcripts would be used only to further civil proceedings by members of the Quinn family.

At an earlier application that month, Pat Whelan and Sean FitzPatrick had opposed release, while William McAteer had neither opposed nor agreed to it. Shelley Horan BL, representing Pat Whelan, had described the request as a broad “fishing type expedition” which was extremely vague.

Pat Whelan and William McAteer were convicted in April 2014 of breaching the Companies Act by illegally lending money to the Maple Ten investors to buy Anglo shares and stabilise the bank’s falling share price. Both denied all charges. The jury acquitted both men on six charges concerning loans to Sean Quinn’s family, which the report linked to section 60 of the Companies Act. Their co-accused, Sean FitzPatrick, was found not guilty on all 16 counts.

Paul Brady BL, representing six former non-executive bank directors who were co-defendants in the Quinn civil case against the Central Bank, requested copies as a further condition of release. Eoin O’Shea BL, for the Quinns, said his clients had no objection.

Charlotte Simpson BL, for the Quinns, had said overlapping witnesses and evidence meant access could save time and costs. She said the criminal defendants named in the civil action already had transcripts. The first civil action was due to begin the following April and last six to nine months.