A UK BUSINESSMAN PLEADED FOR MERCY
A LONDON-based businessman pleaded for a lesser sentence for convicted thief Michael Lynn.
Two firms owned by John Holleran have had their accounts frozen as part of a garda money laundering investigation into Lynn’s stolen millions that has seized in excess of €2 million. One of the firms targeted by gardaí, Ribblesway Ltd, is owned entirely by Mr Holleran, 59, with an address in South West London.
In December 2021 Ribblesway bought and renovated a Co. Wicklow home that Lynn and his family subsequently moved into.
A second firm targeted by gardaí is jointly owned by Mr Holleran, a long-time Bulgarian associate of Lynn’s called Yavor Poptoshev, and a third individual.
The homes of Lynn and Mr Poptoshev were raided by gardaí in early January, as first reported by the Irish Mail on Sunday.
After the raid, Mr Poptoshev was charged with refusing to hand over passwords to his electronic devices.
He is now seeking to overturn this charge by way of judicial review.
In his written plea to Judge Martin Nolan, Mr Holleran said he met Lynn through a mutual friend in London.
Mr Holleran told Judge Nolan that he trusted Lynn and had asked him to be his ‘boots on the ground’ in Ireland. He said he had sold a ‘major utility construction business in the UK’ and that, with Lynn’s help, he wanted to invest some of the proceeds in Ireland.
Mr Holleran told the court: ‘Due to my experience of Michael I was happy to follow his advice to purchase a property in Ireland and ultimately Michael became the tenant. Whilst his rent is being paid by a family member he has been as reliable as a tenant as in any other interaction I have had with him.’
Mr Holleran added that he intended to offer Lynn a job and asked Judge Nolan for mercy.
‘I truly wish for some mercy on behalf of his wife Bríd, their four wonderful children and of course Michael as I know how much they have suffered.’