Solicitor's trial has reached verdict on 36 of the 50 charges

The jury in the €52 million theft and fraud trial of former solicitor Thomas Byrne have reached verdicts in 36 of the 50 charges against him.

The jury have been deliberating for nearly 16 hours over a four day period. The foreman has not announced any of the verdicts yet but told Judge Patrick McCartan that they are “making progress” and have about 14 counts left to consider.

Judge McCartan thanked the jurors for their service so far and asked them to return on Monday to resume their deliberations. The court is not sitting tomorrow due to jurors’ personal commitments.

Mr Byrne (47) of Mountjoy Square, Dublin is accused of theft and fraud offences totalling €51.8 million.

He has pleaded not guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to 50 counts of theft, forgery, using forged documents and deception between 2004 and 2007. The jury were previously ordered to acquit him of another count due to lack of evidence.

The charges allege Mr Byrne transferred clients’ homes into his name and then used them as collateral for property loans. He is also accused of using invalid collateral to fraudulently borrow millions from six financial institutions.