Former solicitor Michael Lynn must provide statement of means before legal aid will be granted

Lynn seeking legal aid for appeal against his conviction for stealing €18m from six financial institutions

Michael Lynn, who was found guilty of stealing just over €18m from six financial institutions during the Celtic Tiger era, is serving a five-and-a-half year prison sentence. File picture: Collins Courts

Disgraced former solicitor Michael Lynn will have to provide a statement of his financial means to the Director of Public Prosecutions before legal aid will be granted for an appeal against his conviction for stealing more than €18m from financial institutions.

At the Court of Appeal on Friday, Mr Lynn sought to change his legal representation and to transfer legal aid to his new solicitor John P O'Donohoe. 

However, a barrister for the Director of Public Prosecutions said they were seeking a statement of means from Mr Lynn. 

Mr Justice John Edwards granted the change of solicitor but reserved the court's position on legal aid pending the statement of means being served to the State. He said if any issue arose, the court should be notified.

Former solicitor Michael Lynn, who was found guilty of stealing just over €18m from six financial institutions during the Celtic Tiger era, is serving a five-and-a-half year prison sentence.

Lynn, 55, was found guilty by a jury of 10 of the 21 counts against him following a Dublin Circuit Criminal Court trial last year. 

The jury was unable to agree on a further 11 counts and those charges have since been dropped. It was the second trial in the case after the jury in his first trial, which ran for 16 weeks in 2022, was unable to agree on any verdicts.

Lynn, of Millbrook Court, Redcross, Co Wicklow, had pleaded not guilty to 21 counts of theft in Dublin between October 23, 2006, and April 20, 2007, when he was working as a solicitor and property developer. He has no previous convictions and has been in custody since he was convicted of the 10 counts just before Christmas.