Rogue solicitor’s vintage wine fetches less than €3,000

ROGUE solicitor Michael Lynn is unlikely to be toasting the authorities after his vintage collection of fine wines and spirits was yesterday sold at auction under the orders of the Dublin City Sheriff.

The collection, numbering around 200 bottles, made less than €3,000.

The sum will only make a tiny dent in the estimated €80m which Lynn owes to a number of banks and building societies for a series of unorthodox property deals.

Lynn, 39, who comes originally from County Mayo, fled Ireland last December after the High Court ordered him to appear before it to explain the background to financial irregularities arising out of multiple bank loans he had taken out on the same properties.

The case is being investigated by the Garda National Bureau of Fraud Investigation, while the DPP is also examining if Lynn’s failure to appear before the High Court constitutes criminal contempt.

The solicitor’s goods were seized during a raid on his former home at St Alban’s Park in Sandymount last year.

Dublin City Sheriff ordered the various items, including Lynn’s wine collection, to be put up for sale in Herman and Wilkinson auction rooms in Rathmines yesterday.

His booze collection was split into about 40 different lots with a case of a 2001 St Emilion vintage fetching the highest price of €210.

Many of the other wines from Lynn’s cellar were of South African origin, although one wine expert admitted there was “nothing dramatic” in the collection. “Bidders said there were no real bargains as they cost as much as they would pay in a supermarket,” auctioneer David Herman said.

He added laughing: “There was a fair bit of interest in the items, even though I’m sure some people bought the wines to have as a conversation piece at dinner parties.”

A Sony plasma TV previously owned by Lynn was sold without a guarantee after it was slightly damaged in transit. “It was a bit wobbly but still fetched €150,” said Mr Herman.

The auctioneer said the sale of Lynn’s wine collection had generated the most publicity ever experienced in the history of the business, which has been running weekly auctions since 1928.

“We got a call from one German wine dealer who said he had €1 million to spend for his clients after hearing about the story. But the sale was already over,” said Mr Herman.

Meanwhile, Lynn is also facing a hearing before the Solicitors’ Disciplinary Tribunal next week which could result in his being struck off.

The solicitor, who is believed to be living in Portugal since fleeing the country, is not expected to attend the proceedings which could end his legal career.