'Odd' that Lynn not arrested, says judge

A HIGH Court Judge has asked why fugitive solicitor Michael Lynn, who left the country in late 2007 owing tens of millions of euro, has not been arrested.

Mr Justice Brian McGovern said it was “difficult to believe” Mr Lynn would still be at large if he was a citizen of “our neighbouring jurisdiction”.

Mr Justice McGovern yesterday granted possession to Anglo Irish Bank of four investment properties bought by Mr Lynn, and another man, just months before his practice was closed in 2007.

In granting possession of the apartments at The Green, Thornberry, Letterkenny, Co Donegal, Mr Justice Brian McGovern said he could not understand why an international arrest warrant had not yet been served on Mr Lynn.

Mr Lynn and a former client, John Mulkearns, of Iona Road, Glasnevin, Dublin, had been granted a mortgage of €671,140 by Anglo Irish Bank for the Section 23 investment properties in February 2007.

Mr Lynn’s address at the time was at St Alban’s Park Sandymount, Dublin, a house last year sold, by order of the courts, for €1.01 million. On October 16th 2007 Mr Lynn’s assets were frozen and his practice shut by the High Court after it emerged he had used his clients’ accounts for personal dealings and drawn down bank loans of at least €26 million in just 10 months.

The same day Anglo Irish Bank wrote to Mr Lynn demanding repayment of the loan for the Donegal properties. Mr Lynn went missing later that year. In January 2008 a further warning letter was issued informing Mr Lynn that the sum now due was €685,569. No payments were ever made on the loan, the court heard.

Mr Justice McGovern said it was “odd” that Mr Lynn had not yet been arrested.

“Can you tell me something, are there, have there been, any steps taken to have Mr Lynn charged? Whether an international arrest warrant has been served?”

Counsel for the bank, Daniel Donnelly, said a summons had been served on Mr Lynn by registered letter to an address at Cabanas de Tavira in the Algarve, Portugal, in relation to yesterday’s court hearing, but no response had been received.

Mr Donnelly told the court Mr Mulkearns was consenting to the possession order and the bank was not seeking costs against him. Mr Justice McGovern made an order for costs against Mr Lynn only.