HP and auditors dispute whether Lynch fraud behind $5bn of Autonomy writedown, filing says

Documents submited to US court in case over allegations founder duped HP into overpaying for software firm

Hewlett-Packard and its auditors disputed whether $5bn (£4bn) of a writedown in value of the software firm Autonomy could be blamed on fraud allegedly engineered by the tech entrepreneur Mike Lynch, according to documents filed to a US court.

Lynch, a billionaire founder once lauded as the UK’s answer to Bill Gates, was extradited to the US in May to face criminal fraud charges over allegations that he duped HP into overpaying when it struck an $11bn deal for Autonomy in 2011.