"The British Bill Gates" missing case is mysterious, defense lawyer, witnesses all on sunken ship, HP case companion previously had a car accident

The situation becomes more mysterious. Before the disappearance of the tech entrepreneur known as the "Bill Gates of the UK" Mike Lynch, Stephen Chamberlain, a co-defendant of Lynch in the Autonomy and HP fraud case in the United States, was hit and killed by a car near his home in the UK.

Mike Lynch, 59, is the founder and CEO of the enterprise software company Autonomy. Previously, Lynch, the founder and CEO of Autonomy, and former CFO Chamberlain faced "fraud charges" from the US tech giant HP. The accusation stated that Lynch inflated Autonomy's value in a $11 billion corporate acquisition, leading HP to make an $8.8 billion write-down of Autonomy within a year. After an 11-week criminal trial, a jury in the San Francisco federal court acquitted Lynch and Chamberlain on June 6 this year.

According to the Pew Research Center's analysis, only 0.4% of federal criminal cases end in acquittal in 2022, meaning that these two executives were extremely lucky to achieve a positive outcome.

Shortly after being acquitted, Chamberlain was killed in a car accident while jogging in the UK. Following that, Lynch went missing in the sinking of the yacht "Bayesian" near the coast of Sicily, Italy. The missing persons also include Lynch's defense witness, Morgan Stanley International Chairman Jonathan Bloomer, and Lynch's defense lawyer. Currently, the Italian Coast Guard is conducting emergency search and rescue operations.

Yacht Sinks, Mike Lynch and Other Key Figures Missing

On Monday, August 19th, in the early hours of Eastern Time, according to media reports, a sudden and violent storm near the coast of Palermo, the capital of Sicily, Italy, caused the British-flagged super yacht "Bayesian" to sink into the sea.

At the time of the accident, there were 22 people on board. Local authorities confirmed that 15 people were rescued in the accident, but as of Tuesday, one person was confirmed dead, and six were missing. Among them, the body of the yacht's chef has been found, while British tech entrepreneur Mike Lynch, Morgan Stanley International Chairman Jonathan Bloomer, lawyer Chris Morvillo, one of Lynch's daughters, Bloomer's wife Judy, and Morvillo's wife Neda are among the missing. Fifteen people were rescued, including a 1-year-old girl and Lynch's wife Bacares.

Currently, the Italian Coast Guard is conducting emergency rescue operations, striving to find the missing persons. The Bagheria Council in Italy pointed out that the yacht likely "sank suddenly" due to "severe weather conditions." Media reports indicated that many guests on the yacht, including Mike Lynch's family and friends, had gathered to celebrate Lynch's regained freedom, as he had been under house arrest in the US for about a year

Background of the Missing Persons and Their Roles in the "Fraud" Case

The three missing leaders in the technology, banking, and legal fields are intricately connected. Jonathan Bloomer, the 70-year-old Chairman of Morgan Stanley International, has been working in the financial industry for fifty years. Since 2018, he has been serving as the Chairman of Morgan Stanley's European operations. He is a friend of Lynch, led the audit committee of Autonomy, and served as a defense witness in the long legal battle between Lynch and HP.

Lawyer Morvillo is a senior partner at Clifford Chance law firm and previously served as an Assistant U.S. Attorney in New York. He defended Lynch during his trial in the United States.

Furthermore, just days before the yacht accident, Lynch's co-defendant Stephen Chamberlain was reported to have been hit by a car and tragically killed while jogging near his home in the UK. Here are the details of the report:

Stephen Chamberlain, former CFO of Autonomy, who had worked with CEO Lynch, was hit by a car while running on Saturday and tragically passed away.

His lawyer, Gary Lincenberg, stated, "Our dear client and friend Steve Chamberlain was hit and killed by a car while out for a run on Saturday. He was a brave and extremely honest man, and we miss him dearly. Earlier this year, he successfully cleared his name in court, and now his good reputation will live on through his wonderful family."

Some media outlets have pointed out that the real mystery lies in how Lynch and Chamberlain went from being the luckiest individuals (acquitted in a federal criminal fraud case) to experiencing consecutive accidents within a few days.

Accident Investigation and Rescue Operations

According to data from a yacht rental website, the yacht named "Bayesian" has a weekly rental price of 195,000 euros, equivalent to 215,000 US dollars. The estimated value of the yacht by brokers is around 35 million US dollars. The owner of this 184-foot yacht is Lynch's wife, Angela Bacares. The yacht can accommodate up to 12 guests and 10 crew members.

Italian coast guard officials stated that the yacht was moored near Porto Cervo on Sunday night when a storm hit the coast, creating a waterspout similar to a tornado. The authorities in Italy reported that the yacht capsized after being struck by the waterspout. Waterspouts are common in the summer but are short-lived and rarely detected by radar.

Local fishermen mentioned, "I woke up early that day to check the weather and saw the signal from the port around 4:40 am. I dove down, but only saw floating cushions, dinghies, and other debris." "The yacht is missing." The coast guard also stated that the yacht did not send out a distress signal.

Source: MarineTraffic.com (vessel location); European Space Agency (image)