UK tech tycoon fights US extradition over ill-fated HP deal

LONDON (AP) — A British tech entrepreneur has appeared in a London court to fight extradition to the United States on fraud charges stemming from his firm’s takeover by Hewlett-Packard a decade ago. U.S. prosecutors say Michael Lynch inflated the value of his software company, Autonomy, before it was bought by Hewlett-Packard for $11 billion in 2011. Mark Summers, a lawyer representing the U.S. government, told a court hearing on Tuesday that it was a simple case of a British firm “cooking its books.” Lynch faces 17 criminal charges in the U.S. including wire fraud, securities fraud and conspiracy to defraud. Lynch denies the allegations, and his lawyers say he should face any criminal proceedings in England