Quinn's son, also Sean, appeared before the High Court in Dublin to hear the sentence passed - but an arrest warrant was issued for his cousin Peter Darragh Quinn, after he failed to turn up.

Judge Elizabeth Dunne, who branded the contempt "outrageous", heard on Friday morning that Peter Darragh Quinn had left a phone message for his solicitor to say he was unwell.

He's been out of contact since the message was left at about 10.40am.

The judge noted that the absent party hadn't been too sick to sign off on his affidavit at 4am and, after more than an hour of legal argument, issued the arrest warrant.

If the absence through illness is deemed to be reasonable, discretion will be exercised but the sentencing went ahead despite the absence.

Sean Quinn's sentence for contempt was put on hold by the judge, to see what measures the businessman takes to recover assets.

As he left the Four Courts complex, Mr Quinn refused to discuss the case. When asked what he thought about his son going to jail, he climbed into a waiting car and said: "Have a good weekend."

All three men were last month found to have been "blatantly dishonest and deceitful" in attempting to hide $500m in assets from the former Anglo-Irish Bank.

They plan to appeal the finding in the Supreme Court.

The charges arose in relation to the ownership and transfer of ownership of overseas property - namely the €114m Kutuzoff Tower in Moscow; the €62m Ukrania Shopping Centre in Ukraine; and a €64m office block in Hyderabad in India.

The men have already been ordered by the court to disclose all assets worldwide, whether they held an interest in them jointly or solely, and to resign from any role in any company or body within the Quinns' International Property Group.

Fermanagh-born Sean Quinn, 65, owes the Irish Bank Resolution Corporation €2.8bn after running up unprecedented losses through secret stock investments in the Anglo.