Solicitor denies that he mixed up concepts of ‘security’ and ‘recourse’

A SOLICITOR has denied he “mixed up” the concepts of security and recourse in an email stating Allied Irish Bank “no longer require any legal recourse” against businessman Philip Lynch, developer Gerry Conlan “and the Lynch children” for a €25 million loan to buy development lands in Waterford.

The Commercial Court has heard the email, written by solicitor Imdaad Sulaiman, was copied to Robert Burns, personal assistant to Mr Lynch, just hours before the Lynch family signed up to the €25m loan on February 8, 2007.

Mr Sulaiman was cross-examined yesterday in the continuing action before Mr Justice Michael Peart by the Lynch family against AIB and two law firms — LK Shields and Matheson Ormsby Prentice — aimed at preventing AIB pursuing them over the loan.