Extradited UK tech chief's trial delayed until 2008

The trial of a UK technology executive extradited to the US on charges of conspiracy to defraud shareholders has now been delayed until 2008.

Jeremy Crook, a former European VP of US software company Peregrine Systems, was extradited to the US in September after being indicted by a US Grand Jury on fraud charges relating to accounting irregularities at Peregrine.

The indictment alleges that Crook and other Peregrine executives conspired in an accounting fraud and attempted cover-up that led to the software company filing for bankruptcy protection, which wiped $4bn off its share value.

A US federal investigation began in 2002 and Peregrine was then sold to HP in 2005 for $425m after emerging from Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.

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Crook denies the charges but if found guilty he could face over 70 years in jail.

Crook left the company in 2001 and was until recently running his own company, but was forced to surrender to US authorities under the UK's controversial extradition treaty with the US. The treaty allows the US to request the extradition of suspects without presenting any of the prosecution evidence in a court first.

The trial had originally been scheduled to take place in April 2007 but Crook's UK lawyer Steve Law told silicon.com the US courts have now adjourned it until the middle of 2008 in order to give Crook time to prepare his defence.

Crook will have to stay in the US at his own expense until the trial takes place, although he is currently awaiting a bail hearing that could allow him to return to the UK for Christmas.