Mike Lynch’s Co-Defendant in US Trial Fatally Struck by Car While Jogging

Sushovan Hussain, a key co-defendant in the high-profile fraud trial involving tech entrepreneur Mike Lynch in the United States, was tragically killed in a road accident on August 19, 2024. Hussain, 60, was struck by a car while jogging near his home in San Francisco. Emergency services arrived at the scene, but despite their efforts, he was pronounced dead.

Hussain was the former chief financial officer of Autonomy, the software company Lynch co-founded. He had been battling charges related to the controversial $11 billion sale of Autonomy to Hewlett-Packard (HP) in 2011. HP later claimed that the company had been grossly overvalued, leading to significant financial losses, and initiated legal proceedings against Lynch and Hussain.

Lynch and Hussain had consistently denied the allegations, maintaining that Autonomy’s accounting practices were lawful and transparent. The trial, which was set to be one of the most significant corporate fraud cases in recent years, is now clouded by Hussain’s unexpected death.

Hussain had already been convicted in a separate trial in 2019, where he was found guilty of wire fraud and other charges related to the Autonomy sale. He was serving a five-year prison sentence and had been released on bail while awaiting the outcome of the current trial. His untimely death adds a complex layer to the ongoing legal battle, potentially impacting the proceedings against Lynch.

As the case continues to unfold, the tech and legal communities are left to grapple with the implications of Hussain’s death on the broader pursuit of justice in one of the most contentious corporate cases in recent history.