Who is Mike Lynch, UK tech entrepreneur missing in superyacht sinking?

LONDON — British technology entrepreneur Mike Lynch was acquitted of fraud charges in June in a landmark trial over allegations made by Hewlett Packard that he had artificially inflated the value of his company when he sold it to the U.S. enterprise tech giant for $11.7 billion in 2011.

Just two months after his acquittal, Lynch — who was once lauded by the U.K. national press as “Britain’s Bill Gates” — was reported missing Monday after the sinking of a superyacht off the coast of Sicily.

The yacht, called the Bayesian, capsized at around 4 a.m. local time while anchored off the coast of Porticello, a small fishing village located in the province of Palermo in Italy. It was struck by an unexpectedly violent storm, according to local media reports.

Lynch’s wife, Angela Bacares, is among the 15 people who were rescued after the yacht’s collapse. At least one man has died, while six people — including Lynch’s daughter Hannah — remain unaccounted for, officials have said.

Sicily’s civil protection agency told reporters late Monday that Morgan Stanley International chairman, Jonathan Bloomer, his wife Judy, Clifford Chance lawyer Chris Morvillo and his wife Neda were also missing as difficult search and rescue efforts resumed on Tuesday.

In a separate incident Saturday, Stephen Chamberlain, the former vice president of finance at Autonomy and a co-defendant in Lynch’s trial, died after being “fatally struck” by a car while out running in Cambridgeshire, Chamberlain’s lawyer told Reuters news agency.

Lynch, 59, is the founder of enterprise software firm Autonomy. He also runs Invoke Capital, a venture capital firm focused on backing European tech startups, which he founded in 2012.

He became the target of a protracted legal battle with Hewlett Packard after the technology firm accused Lynch of inflating Autonomy’s value in an $11.7 billion sale. HP took an $8.8 billion write-down on the value of Autonomy within a year of buying it.

Lynch was extradited from Britain to the U.S. last year to stand trial over the HP allegations. He faced criminal charges, including wire fraud and conspiracy for allegedly scheming to inflate Autonomy’s revenue starting in 2009 in a bid to entice a buyer.

But two months ago, Lynch, who has long denied the accusations, was acquitted of fraud charges in a surprise victory following the trial, which lasted for three months.

During the trial, Lynch took the stand in his own defense, denying wrongdoing and telling jurors that HP botched Autonomy’s integration.

Prosecutors had alleged Lynch, along with Autonomy’s now-deceased finance executive Chamberlain, padded Autonomy’s finances in a number of…