Autonomy boss reprieve

A BRITISH judge has quashed an attempt to pass documents from a legal battle focused on Autonomy founder Mike Lynch to American law enforcement.

The decision by Mr Justice Hildyard, just weeks before the High Court case is due to start on March 25, means FBI fraud investigators must wait for Lynch’s defence to be presented in public.

In the US, the tech millionaire has been charged over the £7bn sale of his software company to Hewlett Packard eight years ago.

Prosecutors accuse him of overseeing a fraud that made Autonomy appear more valuable than it was. At the same time, Lynch faces a damages claim in the UK brought by Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE) worth more than £3bn.

HPE tried to force Lynch to hand over evidence and witness statements to FBI investigators before the High Court case started. But Mr Justice Hildyard said the UK proceedings took precedence.