Lynn is refused bail as he finally returns to face court
Ex-lawyer back from Brazil over ‘€30m theft’ But he insists: ‘I am not like Ronnie Biggs’
A JUDGE last night refused an appeal for bail by Michael Lynn – after the former solicitor was finally brought back to Ireland to face theft charges.
Mr Lynn insisted he is not comparable to train robber Ronnie Biggs following his extradition home from Brazil yesterday.
The late Biggs had fled to the South American country after taking part in the so-called ‘Great Train Robbery’ of 1963.
Appearing at a special setting of Dublin District Court, Mr Lynn was charged with 21 counts of theft involving almost €30million and seven financial institutions between October 2006 and June 2007. The Mayo man, 49, had spent five years in jail in Brazil awaiting extradition.
Refusing bail, Judge Gerard Jones said yesterday he felt Mr Lynn was a flight risk from this jurisdiction and had lived abroad for a considerable period of time. Gardaí had objected to bail.
Giving evidence yesterday Mr Lynn pleaded with the court to give him bail. He said that he was not like Ronnie Biggs, stating: ‘The day of Ronnie Biggs is over.’
Garda Inspector Patrick Linehan told the court he believed Mr Lynn had given gardaí ‘the runaround’ by cancelling meetings with them abroad in the past. Insp. Linehan said that gardaí tried to meet him in London and Portugal but at all stages he sought to frustrate the process.
Mr Lynn testified that he made it clear at all times he was willing to meet gardaí abroad but that the process became ‘complex and convoluted’. He said the first meeting did not happen because his lawyer had another case, while the second did not proceed because of a ‘misunderstanding’ among the lawyers.
He also said he offered to surrender himself for 15 months and that no court in Brazil had accused him of procrastination or delaying tactics. It was heard that the President of the High Court had directed Mr Lynn attend to testify under oath in December 2007. However, he said yesterday that his lawyers advised him not to give evidence in the High Court to protect his right to silence in case of criminal proceedings.
In a direct plea to the judge yesterday evening, Mr Lynn said: ‘I am here to answer for the charges.
‘Gave gardaí the run-around’
I have no intention of leaving the jurisdiction. I need to face these charges and I need to face up to these charges and get this aspect of my life over.
‘I have never been a fugitive from Ireland and I’m prepared to abide by any conditions. The day of Ronnie Biggs is over.’
His sister, Anne, said that she was willing to put up €100,000 for her brother’s bail and would offer him a place to stay with his wife and children. The Aer Lingus plane carrying him home touched down in Dublin at 1.22pm yesterday.
The flight was delayed by less than an hour by the severe weather conditions. He was escorted by gardaí after flying from Recife in Brazil via Frankfurt in Germany.
Mr Lynn was brought to Ballymun Garda Station where he was held for over an hour while being charged with the offences under the Theft and Fraud Act.
He was then taken to the Courts of Criminal Justice in Dublin city centre and formally charged before a judge shortly after 4pm.
The courts were closed yesterday due to the weather but reopened specifically for the case in a special sitting.
Judge Jones refused Mr Lynn bail yesterday evening after a twoand-a-half-hour
‘I’ve never been a fugitive’
court hearing. He is accused of stealing almost €30million between October 2006 and June 2007, and the court heard the charges relate to seven financial institutions.
Mr Lynn – who was wearing a maroon sweater with a striped white shirt and tightly cropped dark hair – was remanded in custody to appear before the court again on March 23. He was provided with free legal aid.
Gardaí confirmed his extradition in a statement, saying: ‘Gardaí from the Garda National Economic Crime Bureau have, today, charged a 49-year-old male, who has been extradited from Brazil, in connection with a number of fraud incidents from 2006 and 2007.’
Justice Minister Charlie Flanagan also commented on Mr Lynn’s return, saying: ‘I note the return of Mr Lynn. This is now clearly a matter for the courts, and it would be inappropriate for me to make any further comment.’
The former solicitor settled with his wife in Brazil and secured permanent residency there following the birth of the couple’s first child in the country in August 2011.
He was arrested in August 2013 on foot of an extradition warrant issued following an agreement between Brazil and Ireland over how to handle such requests pending the conclusion of a formal extradition treaty.
He sought to have the request invalidated but in December 2014 Brazil’s supreme court voted to extradite. Since then his lawyers have sought to have the court revise the decision but, in December of last year, it formally instructed that he be turned over to Irish authorities.
A final bid to derail the process in the High Court in Dublin failed last week. The State has agreed to discount the time Mr Lynn spent in prison in Brazil, pending extradition, from any possible sentence he receives here if he is found guilty and jailed for any of the 21 theft charges he now faces.