Jury clears Autonomy CEO of fraud charges

The superseding indictment in the case decided Thursday in San Francisco alleged that Lynch and Stephen Chamberlain, Autonomy’s former vice president of finance, “engaged in a scheme to defraud purchasers and sellers of Autonomy securities, including HP, about the true performance of Autonomy’s business, its financial condition, and its prospects for growth,” the US Attorney’s Office said at the time of the indictment.

“I am elated with today’s verdict and grateful to the jury for their attention to the facts over the last 10 weeks,” Lynch said on Thursday, according to a report from The Guardian. “My deepest thanks go to my legal team for their tireless work on my behalf. I am looking forward to returning to the UK and getting back to what I love most: my family and innovating in my field.”

Testimony raised questions about where the blame fell, with some arguing that HP’s senior management team — led at the time by CEO Meg Whitman — were blaming Lynch for their mismanagement of the acquisition and the subsequent integration.