Today’s Irish Times has a feature on Michael Lynn’s property ’empire’ in Portugal. (subscription required) Simon Carswell who has been investigating Lynn for the Irish Times for several months visited the Algarve this week in search of Ireland’s country and western singing, hippo owning, brazillian residency holding, runaway solicitor.

Carswell was particularly interested in Lynn’s current holdings in Portugal, given that many Irish people had invested in Kendar Portugal and are worrying about their deposits. Nuno Paulino is a close associate of Lynn and he told Carswell that Lynn was no longer involved in the company but Carswell (and a lot of his readers might just doubt that.

Speaking publicly for the first time, Paulino claimed Lynn was no longer involved in Costa de Cabanas and had sold his shares in Kendar Portugal last year.

“Michael Lynn sold his shares in the company and he resigned as manager in the third or last quarter of 2007,” said Paulino. Asked if Lynn received any money for his shares in Kendar, Paulino said: “Supposedly yeah – he should have.” He said Vantea was now owned by two Portuguese companies, Nota Breve and Numero Misto. He claimed Portuguese investors owned the companies but refused to name them.

Nota Breve and Numero Misto are “sociedades anóminas” (SA) or anonymous societies, which are not required to publish the names of shareholders. Official Portuguese records show that Lynn transferred his interest in Kendar Portugal to the two SA companies on December 6th, 2007 – the week before his disappearance in Ireland.

Paulino said Nota Breve and Numero Misto were “normal companies” and “not covering up anything”, yet he still would not reveal their shareholders. The companies’ registered address is an apartment in the tourist resort of Alvor, which is in the western Algarve. No one answered the door at the apartment yesterday.

If anyone finds details of Lynn’s Sandymount abode due for auction in March let me know – I can’t wait to read the spiel the estate agents give this time!

I’ve had requests from readers for more of Michael Lynn’s tunes. Some of my readers are truely sadistic. But who am I to deny you your little pleasures in life!

This is Track 7 on the CD. A Portguese Memorial Edition singing about walking on beaches…

Untitled on the CD I have yet to fathom what Michael might have called this little ditty. He surely has a way with words…a wayward way.

The chorus goes…

Is it now or are you gone? Can you answer me or is it something I did wrong? Why walk away now? Turn your back. Answer me. Did you take your life?

You can listen yourself and figure out what he’s on about (or was on when writing it!)

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