Documentary series reveals Michael Lynn's wife withdrawing cash from bank accounts by Bulgarian business associate of his, during trial
Small individual Irish investors tell of their suffering:
Paul Ryan Retired Teacher: You'd wake up at night and suddenly it would hit you that you had lost this money for your family
Sean O'Mahony Publican: A walking conman, that's the way I would describe Michael Lynn
Watch here
One of the loose ends that still exists with the Michael Lynn story is the question of what happened with the money. Virtually none of which has been recovered. When solicitor Michael Lynn fled Ireland in December 2007, he'd clocked up 80m in loans from high street banks, much of them fraudulently secured via multiple mortgages. And he owed another 12m to private investors who had paid out for unbuilt apartments abroad.
A new two-part documentary series beginning on RT One and RT Player tonight, highlights new links involving a Bulgarian business associate of Michael Lynn's setting up companies in Ireland relating to property development, and those company accounts being accessed by Mr Lynn's wife, Brid Murphy withdrawing cash in the last year.
Michael Lynn: The Fugitive reveals the true story of an epic hunt to bring one of Ireland's most notorious fugitives to justice told directly by the reporter who tracked him down, his victims, and former employees. The two-part series is directed by Trevor Birney and produced by Fine Point Films for RT .
Irish Mail on Sunday Journalist Michael O'Farrell and photographer Sean Dwyer ended up hunting Michael Lynn down all over the world, from Portugal to Bulgaria to a hellhole prison in Brazil. Michael Lynn was facing serious questions about his fraudulent actions in Ireland when he fled to Portugal. They spotted someone tearing up documents and leaving them outside Lynn's offices in Portugal one night. When they got them back to the hotel and pieced them together, it was a treasure trove of information on Lynn. They had discovered a cache of discarded documents in Portugal which led them deeper into Lynn's labyrinth of lies.
Sean Dwyer: You couldn't have asked for a better map of how Lynn had stitched together his business over the previous 12 months and how he was planning to roll it out over the next several years.
Michael O'Farrell: I could see bank transfers and cheques being signed, 20,000 going here. I could see handwritten documents detailing 3million and 4 million worth of transfers from his client account into strange places.
The documents explained that Vantea was his new company with a new shareholding structure owned by anonymous companies in strange parts of the world that you couldn't trace. Everywhere he went, his assets were disappearing into this secret void.
The documents uncovered by Journalist Michael O'Farrell back 17 years ago are still relevant to what's happening today.
One of the names in those documents was a Bulgarian man Yavor Poptoshev. Journalist Michael O'Farrell has seen that name pop up in Slovakia on company documents with Brid Murphy (wife of Micheal Lynn), in the Seychelles, and more recently, and intriguingly, in Ireland. It was a name that only began to be connected during the trial when it was realised that Michael Lynn had moved house and the new house, according to the land registry documents, had been bought by a company associated with Mr. Poptoshev in Ireland.
When Michael O'Farrell investigated Mr. Poptoshev a little bit deeper, he learnt he has set up various other companies in Ireland, which are engaging in property developments. They appeared to be back in business. During Michael Lynn's second trial, his wife Brid Murphy was accessing those company accounts via ATM machines while he was on legal Aid. All of that is still the focus of a Garda money laundering investigation.
One year ago this week, Mr. Poptoshev was arrested during dawn raids on his house and Michael Lynn's house. Michael O'Farrell tells the RT documentary: Weeks after Michael Lynn is in prison in Ireland, we're still standing on a hillside in Brittas County Wicklow at dawn watching the guards raid his wife's house. So in some ways, it's like a story that doesn't want to die. But that's because the life of the story is what happened to the money?
Viewers will hear for the first time the recording of Michael Lynn admitting : I was on my own personal drugged up ambition, fuelled by the desire to succeed. I was the Celtic Cub. It's still the only time that we can hear Michael Lynn's voice in public, because the interview he agreed to do that day is the only interview he's ever given publicly.
16 years after he failed to show up to a special High Court hearing to be questioned about his property dealings, the former solicitor, Michael Lynn, was imprisoned in December 2023 after being convicted of stealing almost 18 million from financial institutions.
Journalist Michael O'Farrell: When Michael Lynn ran, the trail of destruction he left in his wake started to emerge pretty quickly. It was obvious that the banks had a problem, but what wasn't immediately clear was that he'd also taken millions from hundreds of ordinary people.
Paul Ryan a retired PE Teacher from Dublin paid a deposit to buy an apartment in Portugal: Michael Lynn stole roughly 60,000 from me. I didn't discuss it with my family or my daughters because I felt a terrible sense of guilt that I had lost all this money. The apartment the dream was retirement. Our family could come and visit or we can all meet. That was a dream.
What you call the legal system in the state didn't seem to have any interest in what the small person had lost in this particular aspect. It was all about banks
Most recent headlines
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
01/06/2026
January 6 2026, 05:30 (PST) Dolby Sets the New Standard for Premium Entertainment at CES 2026
Throughout the week, Dolby brings to life the latest innovatio...
02/05/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...
01/05/2026
January 5 2026, 18:30 (PST) NBCUniversal's Peacock to Be First Streamer to ...
01/04/2026
January 4 2026, 18:00 (PST) DOLBY AND DOUYIN EMPOWER THE NEXT GENERATON OF CREATORS WITH DOLBY VISION
Douyin Users Can Now Create And Share Videos With Stun...
26/03/2026
Extron and Audio-Technica have announced that their Design Solutions devices, Ce...
26/03/2026
SPORTEL Asia took place March 24-25 at the Orchard Hotel Singapore, drawing 370 participants representing more than 220 companies from 35 countries. Approximate...
26/03/2026
LTN will demonstrate satellite-to-IP migration solutions for broadcasters, cable networks, MVPDs, and station groups at NAB Show 2026 (Booth W2100).
The C-Ban...
26/03/2026
The Seattle Mariners have partnered with Daktronics to install an upgraded outfi...
26/03/2026
The Esports Foundation (EF) has awarded National Team Partner status to organizations and individuals across more than 100 countries and territories for the Esp...
26/03/2026
Telestream has announced expanded integration between its Vantage workflow platf...
26/03/2026
FOR-A Corporation has announced a partnership with Nippon TV and NVIDIA to distr...
26/03/2026
CBS Sports and the WNBA have expanded their partnership through a new long-term, multiplatform rights agreement. CBS Sports will feature up to 20 regular-season...
26/03/2026
Zac Brown Band will star in the Sunday Night Baseball show open on NBC and Peacock, NBC Sports announced. The open was filmed at American Family Field, home of ...
26/03/2026
Major League Baseball opens the 2026 season with nationally televised games across multiple media partners. Fans can visit MLB.com/Watch for a complete schedule...
26/03/2026
DIRECTV has announced an agreement to carry nine new MLB-operated team channels, covering the Cincinnati Reds, Detroit Tigers (Detroit SportsNet), Kansas City R...
26/03/2026
Nationals.TV, the Washington Nationals' local broadcast channel, is now avai...
26/03/2026
Starting Thursday, March 26, MLB.TV will be available on the ESPN App, giving fans access to more than 2,000 out-of-market regular season games. Fans can also r...
26/03/2026
Spotify's partnership with NAVER, Korea's leading digital platform, is built around one simple goal: making it easier for listeners in Korea to discover...
26/03/2026
Exclusive to ComposerCloud for first month
Sample library and virtual instrument gurus EastWest have announced the upcoming release of a new virtual drum i...
26/03/2026
Friday 27 March
Friday 27 March will mark Dynamic Range Day 2026, the annual day of online activity that was started in 2010 by mastering engineer Ian Sheph...
26/03/2026
Includes four separate instruments
Max Richter's SRM Sounds venture have just announced their fifth release, ASMR Choir. Captured at the main live room ...
26/03/2026
The National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF), an agency of the Department of Sport, Arts and Culture (DSAC), has been tasked with administering the Sixth Presi...
26/03/2026
By Matt Klein
Hello to everyone reading this - whether you're a current YEP, HPA member, or just YEP-curious. I'm Matt Klein, one of the co-chairs of t...
26/03/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
26/03/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
26/03/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
26/03/2026
28 participating companies, from start-ups to blue-chips, lead the UK Group as part of the GREAT Britain and Northern Ireland presence across all the Halls at N...
26/03/2026
Arkona Unveils BLADE//planner and Major Usability Enhancements at NAB 2026
Brie Clayton March 26, 2026
0 Comments
New graphical configuration tool and...
26/03/2026
Bitfocus showcases complete control at NAB Show 2026
Brie Clayton March 26, 2026
0 Comments
Continuing development drives advances in security, availa...
26/03/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
26/03/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
26/03/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
26/03/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
26/03/2026
Nevion introduces powerful new Panel Builder to enhance VideoIPath broadcast con...
26/03/2026
2026 Oscar Nominated Films Powered by Blackmagic Design
Brie Clayton March 25, 2026
0 Comments
DaVinci Resolve Studio used on 27 of this year's no...
26/03/2026
Leader to present full suite of advanced Test & Measurement solutions at NAB Sho...
26/03/2026
Boston Conservatory to Present New England and Collegiate Premiere of Groundbrea...
26/03/2026
Thursday 26 March 2026
HBO Max included for Sky and NOW customers from 26 March...
26/03/2026
Thursday 26 March 2026
Sky Sets Iconic Costumes Dancing Together Like Never Before' in Brand CampaignTurn on cookies to view this content. Go to Privacy o...
26/03/2026
Wuppertal March 26, 2026
CS live Builds Future-Ready OB Van With Riedel MediorNet and hi Control SystemRiedel Communications today announced that Czech-based ...
26/03/2026
Back to All News
Have a Wish Worth Dying For? Netflix's First Korean YA Hor...
26/03/2026
Back to All News
The Truthers, Starring Jose Coronado and St phanie Magnin, Pre...
26/03/2026
Enhancements to Harmonic's Sports Streaming Solution Introduce Server-Side Multiview, Contextual Metadata-Driven Advertising, Dynamic In-Stream Ads and Robu...
26/03/2026
Open the report
Our 2025 report brings together results from 79 business magazine titles across 22 market sectors, published by 49 media owners. Over the year,...
26/03/2026
Editor's note: This post is part of Into the Omniverse, a series focused on ...
26/03/2026
RT Commercial today announced Fiat as sponsor of The Louise Duffy Show on RT Radio 1, Weekdays 3pm 4pm.
The Louise Duffy Show is the home of daytime music...
26/03/2026
That gaming backlog won't clear itself - GeForce NOW is here to help. Stream the latest titles straight from the cloud across a variety of devices.
This we...
26/03/2026
Wayne, N.J., March 26, 2026 Phantom High-Speed announces the latest product li...
Documentary series reveals Michael Lynn's wife withdrawing cash from bank accounts by Bulgarian business associate of his, during trial
