THE US has formally requested that the UK extradites British tech billionaire Mike Lynch to stand trial on charges of securities fraud, wire fraud and conspiracy related to the botched sale of his company Autonomy to Hewlett Packard (HP).

The US embassy submitted the request on 21 November for Lynch, who is currently embroiled in a battle with HP in London's High Court, to face charges in America, according to a court filing published last night.

The entrepreneur and his codefendant Sushovan Hussain, the firm's ex-finance chief, both deny the allegations.

The British businessman has been indicted in San Francisco on 17 counts, including wire fraud, conspiracy and securities fraud, which carries a maximum term of 25 years in prison.

In May Hussain was sentenced to five years in prison and fined $4m (£3.1m) after being convicted.

(c) 2019 City A.M., source Newspaper