Italian authorities are investigating the cause of the Bayesian’s sinking, with a prosecutor involved in the investigation saying there is a “possibility of criminality” in the accident. However, prosecutors have yet to identify any potential suspects.
The body of a victim of the yacht sinking was brought ashore by rescuers (Photo: Telegraph).
Investigators said they will focus on why the Bayesian superyacht sank so quickly, especially when other yachts nearby were able to weather the storm.
Investigators say the cause of the sinking will not be known until the ship is raised from the water. The salvage process could take weeks.
Italian authorities say “extreme weather was one of the main causes of the sinking of the yacht”, but are still in the early stages of the investigation and they do not want to rule out any possibilities, including the possibility that Mike Lynch was murdered or that he was charged with manslaughter due to negligence by the captain and crew.
Two deaths a few days apart: Coincidence or related?
In 1996, Mike Lynch founded Autonomy Corporation, a technology company specializing in data analysis software. As CEO and Chairman of the company he founded, Autonomy has grown to become one of the largest technology companies in the UK.
The success of Autonomy Corporation helped Mike Lynch become one of the few billionaires in the technology sector in the UK and he was nicknamed “British Bill Gates”.
In 2011, the American computer company Hewlett-Packard (HP) offered to buy Autonomy for $11 billion. However, this deal later became the center of many legal disputes related to allegations of financial fraud by Autonomy.
Stephen Chamberlain (left) died a few days before Mike Lynch (right) went missing at sea. Both were acquitted in a lawsuit that lasted a few months (Photo: Getty).
In 2023, Mike Lynch was extradited to the United States on charges of financial fraud when selling his company to HP. The American company accused Lynch of inflating Autonomy’s revenue and publishing fake financial statements to increase the sale price.
On March 18, Mike Lynch and Stephen Chamberlain, former vice president of finance at Autonomy, appeared in court in the US, facing dozens of counts of fraud and conspiracy to commit fraud. However, both defendants denied the charges against them.
The trial lasted 11 weeks. By June, both Mike Lynch and Steven Chamberlain were acquitted.
Notably, on August 18, while on the Bayesian yacht, Mike Lynch received the sad news that Stephen Chamberlain was hit by a car while jogging. Although Chamberlain was taken to the hospital, he did not survive due to the severity of his injuries.
Just two days later, Mike Lynch died in a yacht sinking.
The public has raised the question: Is the sudden and consecutive deaths of Mike Lynch and his close associate Steven Chamberlain related to the recent acquittal of both?
Theo NYT/Sky