Mike Lynch Faces Trial for Alleged Multibillion-Dollar Fraud

Defense argues differences in accounting standards between the UK and the US.

Mike Lynch, co-founder of Autonomy, stands trial in San Francisco, accused of orchestrating a multiyear, multilayered fraud that led HP to overpay for the software company by billions.
Prosecutors allege Lynch and other executives inflated Autonomy's value using illegal accounting practices, while the defense highlights differences in UK and US accounting standards.
Lynch and former finance director Stephen Chamberlain plead not guilty to 16 counts of fraud related to the sale of Autonomy to HP in 2011.
The trial is expected to last 10 weeks, with Lynch expected to testify in the second half. If convicted, he faces up to 25 years in jail.
HP wrote down almost all the value of the £7bn deal a year later, claiming serious accounting improprieties.