QIH Chief warned of 'increasingly serious' attacks

 

The Chairman of Quinn Industrial Holdings (QIH) is demanding that police authorities “north and south” act quickly and decisively following the abduction of senior company director Kevin Lunney near his home yesterday evening.

The incident is seen as a major escalation in what is a long-running series of incidents considered to be part of a alleged campaign of intimidation targetted against senior QIH staff in recent years.

Its understood that father-of-six Mr Lunney was returning home from work to his family home at Kinawley in Co Fermanagh when he was taken from his car and bundled into another at around 6.40pm yesterday evening (Tuesday 17 September).

His vehicle and an unknown car were both then found ablaze in a road near to Mr Lunney's family home shortly before 7.00pm, with initial fears centring on the possibility that the Fermanagh businessman may have still been in the vehicle.

However, he was not, Mr Lunney's panicked family alerted the authorities.

An evidently and seriously injured Mr Lunney was later found a little over two-hours later, shortly before 9pm, at Drumcoughill, Cornafean, Co Cavan.

 

 

He was discovered by local residents and had suffered serious injuries to his face as well as a broken leg.

The road where Mr Lunney was found is in a secluded rural area, and located some 40 kilometres away from the inital abduction point.

The road at Drumcoughill at present remains closed off for a period as gardai continue a forensic investigation of the area.

The Police Service of Northern Ireland and An Garda Siochana are now focusing part of their investigation on tracking the movements of a black-coloured saloon Audi car, believed to have been driven in the Derrylin, Fermanagh and Swanlinbar, Cavan areas.

Commenting on the incident, Adrian Barden, Chairman, QIH said that Mr Lunney’s abduction and assault was not only an “outrageous attack” on a hard working father of six, but could be considered an attack on his 830 colleagues at QIH and the wider community in the Cavan-Fermanagh region also.

“For several hours last evening Kevin’s wife, family and very many friends were left to contemplate the worst. Like many of his colleagues I am frustrated and angry that more has not been done to protect Kevin who will require some considerable time to recover from the very severe injuries sustained in this brutal attack.”

It is not the first time Mr Lunney has directly been the focus of an alleged incident, where back in early February this year he was punched to the head. He suffered a broken nose, while Dara O'Reilly, QIH's chief financial officer had scalding water thrown at his face.

Both men were attending a local service station and restaurant in Ballyconnell to eat at the time.

Belfast High Court subsequently granted Mr Lunney an interim injunction against his alleged assailant.

Prior alleged acts of intimidation also include arson attacks at or near the homes or businesses of senior QIH staff.

The incident came just months after the QIHL's board wrote to the Garda Commissioner Drew Harris and Minister for Justice Charlie Flanagan demanding more is done to bring those behind the campaign of attacks to justice.

In total, The Anglo-Celt has recorded, including the recent abduction, more than 70 individual acts of intimidation against the QIH business, founded and once controlled by local businessman Séan Quinn. This included 10 last year, with no incidents occurring since the attack on Mr Lunney back in in February.

In a statement released today, Mr Barden said QIH had “previously warned of the inevitability of serious injury and loss of life” arising from “sustained and increasingly serious criminal attacks” on the local businesses. “We find it inexplicable that not a single arrest has been made north or south despite dozens of incidents. We are now calling for the police authorities north and south to act quickly and decisively to prevent an inevitable loss of life by bringing those responsible to justice.”

 

Timeline of Attacks on QIH

2011

Within 24 hours of businessman Sean Quinn and his family being locked out of their former businesses in April 14, 2011, blockades are staged at company headquarters in Ballyconnell and Derrylin.

 

2012

2013

 

2014

 

2015

 

2016

 

2017

 

2018

 

2019