25 July 2012 Last updated at 12:07 ET

Dublin judge slams Sean Quinn family's' 'dishonesty'

The family of Sean Quinn was sharply criticised by a Dublin judge

A judge in Dublin has said the Quinn family had operated a scheme of mesmeric complexity which "reeked of dishonesty and sharp practice".

Commercial Court Judge Peter Kelly extended orders freezing the assets of the children of Fermanagh businessman Sean Quinn.

He also did so for two of his sons-in-law Stephen Kelly and Niall McPartland.

The Irish Bank Resolution Corporation (IBRC), formerly Anglo Irish Bank, had been seeking the freezing orders.

It also wants to appoint receivers to their assets. The bank has taken the case over 2.8bn euros in loans it says are owed by the Quinns.

Mr Justice Kelly said he regrettably had to deal more and more often with fraud on a national and international level as well as sharp practice, dishonesty and chicanery.

But he said he had never seen such conduct on the scale demonstrated by Mr Quinn and his family or the deviousness with which the scheme to put assets beyond the reach of the IBRC had operated.

The judge also appointed receivers to the Quinn children's assets and those of Mr Kelly and Mr McPartland with the exception of certain bank accounts, some future earnings and family homes.

He granted disclosure orders sought against them, Sean Quinn Snr and a number of companies.

Living expenses

The judge also froze the assets of Sean Quinn Jnr's wife, Karen Woods, who the court heard has received more than 320,000 euros from Russian companies since April last year.

He will hear applications by the Quinn children for living expenses as well as an application by lawyers for Peter Darragh Quinn to be allowed to stop representing him, next Tuesday.

The Quinn children had each been previously granted living expenses of 2,000 euros a week.

Earlier, senior counsel for the IBRC Paul Gallagher said the bank was still concerned that it did not know what had happened to 2.8m euros paid to members of the Quinn family and their partners by Russian companies since April last year.

The Quinns' senior counsel, Bill Shipsey, said his clients were consenting to very extensive disclosure orders and they would have to disclose all their assets and accounts.

Mr Quinn avoided jail for contempt of court last Friday, but was told he must co-operate within three months with the Irish Bank Resolution Corporation, formerly Anglo Irish Bank.

His son, Sean Jnr, and Peter Darragh Quinn were sentenced to prison.

Sean Quinn Jnr began his sentence immediately and will serve out the remainder in the training unit of Mountjoy prison, a semi-open low security facility.

A warrant was issued for Peter Darragh Quinn's arrest after he failed to appear for sentencing.