British technology tycoon Mike Lynch has lost his bid to challenge his extradition to the United States to face criminal charges over the sale of Hewlett Packard.
The founder of Autonomy Corp. His transfer to the US was blocked after the British government approved the move in January 2022. This followed a separate court ruling that he was dishonest in the $11 billion sale of his company.
There was no argument on any of the grounds of appeal, Judges Clive Lewis and Julian Knowles wrote in Friday’s ruling.
Lynch, who denies all charges, said the case belonged to the United Kingdom and the British authorities could have investigated more fully. Lynch spokespeople did not immediately return calls and emails seeking comment.
It’s the latest chapter in a legal saga that began shortly after Lynch’s Autonomy was sold to Hewlett Packard in 2011. A year after the sale, the Silicon Valley hardware giant slashed the deal’s value by $8.8 billion.
Lynch, was seeking to appeal on five grounds, with his main argument being that the criminal case against him must be in the United Kingdom where the bulk of the alleged events took place.
“These matters deeply concern the United Kingdom,” Alex Bailin, Lynch’s solicitor, said at the hearing. “Extradition is not in the interest of justice and the allegations can be fairly tried here.”
It’s the latest chapter in a legal saga that began shortly after Lynch’s Autonomy was sold to Hewlett Packard in 2011. A year after the sale, the Silicon Valley hardware giant slashed the deal’s value by $8.8 billion.
Bellin said the UK’s Serious Fraud Office “expressly reserves” its rights to prosecute Lynch in the UK if extradition is denied. This is despite the Counter-Terrorism Bureau previously opening an investigation and closing the case without any charges being filed.
The US government denied the appeal. Her lawyers said that “the United States is integral to all aspects of the alleged fraud” and that the extradition should go ahead because mostly US-based shareholders are the victims of fraud, according to court documents prepared for the hearing.
Speaking on the case, Thomas Garner, partner and extradition attorney at law firm Fladgate: “Lynch appears to have reached the end of the road. It is hard to see the Strasbourg court getting involved in this case, and it should be remembered that any application to Strasbourg can only be built on narrow human rights grounds – most of his argument in the UK was that the US was not the right forum for anyone. trial.
If an application is made to Strasbourg, he can also seek an effective injunction to remove him to the United States—such orders are very rare and are usually reserved for cases where the court is concerned that there is an imminent threat to life or illness. Treatment amounting to torture or inhuman or degrading treatment.