Gardaí have been ordered to arrest solicitor Michael Lynn and bring him before the High Court this morning for failing to comply with an order requiring him to answer questions in court about property dealings which have contributed to his estimated liabilities of €80 million.

The President of the High Court, Mr Justice Richard Johnson, made an order for the arrest of Mr Lynn yesterday morning after he failed to attend for cross-examination by the Law Society, which was scheduled to begin at 11am in a packed court number six at the Four Courts.

The judge directed that Mr Lynn be brought before the court at 2pm. However, at 2pm, there was still no appearance either by Mr Lynn or any lawyer acting for him. Shane Murphy SC, for the Law Society, asked that the matter be adjourned to today to allow the society to put matters on affidavit.

Proceedings in which Bank of Scotland (Ireland) wants Mr Lynn to execute charges in its favour over certain properties may also come before the court today, the judge was told.

Mr Justice Johnson adjourned the case to this morning and said that, if Mr Lynn turned up, he was to be detained in custody until the court hearing at 11am.

Earlier, Gary McCarthy, for Mr Lynn's wife, Bríd Murphy, said she last saw her husband on Monday evening at the offices of Merriman White solicitors at Tooks Court, London.

Mr McCarthy said Mr Lynn was in London on Tuesday with Merriman White and had spoken to his wife by phone. Ms Murphy had made calls to her husband yesterday but had not so far heard back from him. She expected to be phoned soon.

Mr McCarthy agreed that Mr Lynn was aware he had to be in court yesterday but said Ms Murphy was not a party to the proceedings by the society against Mr Lynn. She had been served at 1.10pm yesterday with the order for the attachment of Mr Lynn with a view to facilitating bringing that order to his attention, counsel noted.

Mr Lynn was to have been cross-examined by Mr Murphy, for the society, before the High Court President about his dealings concerning six properties. His evidence is not admissible in any criminal proceedings as he is required by court order to attend.

Mr Lynn has been accused of taking out multiple mortgages on the same properties and has estimated liabilities of some €80 million. His assets have been valued at some €52.5 million and he or his firms were listed as having some 154 bank accounts and dealings concerning some 148 properties. Documents relating to Mr Lynn's dealings have been sent to the Garda National Bureau of Fraud Investigation and some of its officers, as well as representatives of the major banks who are owned multimillion sums, were in court yesterday.

Earlier yesterday, Paul Burns SC, with Gabriel Gavigan, instructed by PJ Walsh & Company solicitors, Upper Fitzwilliam Street, Dublin, applied to be discharged as Mr Lynn's legal representatives. The judge told Mr Burns he and his legal team could come off record.