AT LEAST four witnesses are expected to travel from the Ukraine to Northern Ireland as part of a legal battle over bankrupt tycoon Seán Quinn’s international property empire.
They include a director in the company at the centre of a disputed arrangement for enforcing a $45 million dollars (€34 million) debt over a Kiev shopping centre.
The High Court in Belfast also heard yesterday that video-link facilities at hotels in the Ukrainian capital are being explored as another potential method of ensuring evidence at hearings due to take place next month.
The former Anglo Irish Bank is locked in a fight for control of eastern European property linked to Mr Quinn in an attempt to recoup more than £2 billion. Anglo, now the Irish Bank Resolution Corporation (IBRC), fears assets may have been stripped.
Ahead of that case, contempt of court proceedings have been initiated against two Ukrainian legal representatives of the British Virgin Islands-registered Lyndhurst Development Trading for allegedly flouting a ban on enforcing any loan agreements.
Lawyers for IBRC claim one of those facing contempt proceedings should be barred from the main case unless he “purges” his alleged wrongdoing. But Brett Lockhart QC, for Lyndhurst, told the court yesterday it could take time to complete all necessary affidavits and document translations.
Lyndhurst is one of four companies covered by the injunctions obtained on behalf of IBRC as controllers of Quinn Finance and Quinn Hotels Praha. The others are Galfis Overseas, in Belize, and two Northern Ireland-based firms, Demesne Investments and Innishmore Consultancy.
Innishmore’s director is Peter Quinn, Seán Quinn’s nephew.
Mr Lockhart confirmed a handwriting expert has been enlisted in connection with an allegation that Peter Quinn’s signature was forged on a debt-transfer document.
