HP disputed with auditors whether Lynch fraud behind $5bn of Autonomy writedown, filing says

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

Hewlett-Packard disputed with its auditors 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.