Irish tax adviser to football industry leaves high-profile firm

Andy Quinn, the managing partner of high-profile accounting firm Moore Stephens, has left the firm.

Mr Quinn gained public prominence in Irish and international media over recent months when it emerged that he had set up a number of Dublin companies associated with the football agent Jorge Mendes and his agency Gestifute.

Some of the companies, including Polaris Sports and MultiSports Image & Management, were registered to the Dublin office of Moore Stephens.

Those two companies later cropped up during investigations in Spain into the tax avoidance strategies on image rights payments applied by some of Mr Mendes's highest-profile clients, such as Cristiano Ronaldo, Jose Mourinho and Angel Di Maria.

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Ronaldo and Mourinho continue to deny any wrongdoing in their tax affairs, while Di Maria, who authorities said utilised Polaris and MultiSports, pleaded guilty to tax fraud in June and agreed to pay €2 million in back taxes and fines.

Moore Stephens and Gestifute, which were not the subject of any tax investigations, have said they acted correctly at all times. Mr Quinn also was not accused of any wrongdoing in the investigations.

Moore Stephens said on Friday that Mr Quinn (48), has "retired from the firm with effect from August 31st". Ned Murphy, who has replaced Mr Quinn as managing partner, thanked Mr Quinn for his contribution.

“Andy is moving on to pursue other interests and we wish him all the best in his future endeavours,” he said.

New company

Company office records show that Mr Quinn last month set up a new company, Andrew P Quinn & Associates. It is registered to his home address in Meath, although Mr Quinn also appears to be using an office on College Green in Dublin.

Polaris, where Mr Quinn remains a director alongside Mr Mendes’s nephew, Luis Correia, this month shifted its registered address from the Moore Stephens office to the College Green address.

Gestifute International, where the two men are also directors, has also shifted its registration to the College Green building. The documents filed for both moves were signed by Mr Quinn in mid-October, six weeks after he left Moore Stephens. MultiSports, to date, remains registered at the office of the firm.

Mr Murphy made no response to further queries asking him to clarify whether Gestifute and Polaris are no longer clients of Moore Stephens. Mr Quinn could not be reached.