Mike Lynch can be extradited to US, judge rules

Mike Lynch, the alleged architect of Britain’s largest corporate fraud, has endured a crucial defeat in his struggle against extradition to The usa as he seeks to prevent perhaps a long time in prison.

The Autonomy founder, who is needed on expenses of fraud around the sale of the application firm, moved a phase nearer to trial on US soil soon after District Choose Michael Snow mentioned it was “in the passions of justice” to extradite him. Mr Lynch denies all expenses.

Previous ministers attacked the choice, declaring any allegations against the businessman need to be tested in the British isles and that the decide has dismissed future proof.

Attorneys for Mr Lynch – at the time hailed as Britain’s solution to Monthly bill Gates – mentioned they assume to attractiveness the choice if it is approved by the Residence Secretary.

The fifty six-year-old faces seventeen counts of fraud in the US around the $eleven.7bn (£8.5bn) sale of Autonomy, the FTSE a hundred firm he launched, to HP in 2011.

HP wrote down pretty much all of Autonomy’s worth a year soon after the offer, boasting that previous executives at the firm had inflated its revenues and profits.

David Davis, the previous shadow dwelling secretary, mentioned it was an “outrage” that Mr Lynch need to be experimented with in a US courtroom.

“This is all about the purchase of our greatest application firm, Autonomy, from the London Stock Exchange, and a voluntary purchase by Hewlett Packard. That all transpired in Britain,” he mentioned.

“The implication of that for a business enterprise position of check out, is that every single purchase or agreement by an American firm, will be adjudicated by the American courtroom. Which is truly severe publish-Brexit.”

Andrew Mitchell, the previous intercontinental enhancement secretary, mentioned: “This is a bizarre, incomprehensible choice that means none of us are safe and sound from the get to of American prosecutors. The Residence Secretary need to mirror quite meticulously certainly prior to agreeing that this extradition can go forward.”