THE ENTREPRENEUR

Last updated at 09:09 21 April 2007


Sir Christopher Evans, who is widely regarded as one of Europe's leading biotechnology entrepreneurs, was arrested last September.

He was knighted in 2001 for his services to the sector, after earlier receiving an OBE.

He founded a venture capital company called Merlin Biosciences in 1996.

Since then, it has expanded to manage or advise more than £270million of investments in the biotechnology industry.

Sir Christopher has established 20 science companies in his 25 years in the industry, of which four have floated on the London Stock Exchange.

The firms have a combined value of £1billion and employ 2,000.

Sir Christopher made a £1million loan to the Labour Party between January and May 2005.

In March that year he was appointed to the UK Stem Cell Initiative, a programme set up by Gordon Brown to advise the Government on the cutting-edge technology.

After gaining a degree in microbiology from London's Imperial College, he went on to a PhD at the University of Hull and research fellowships in the U.S.

Sir Christopher insists he is innocent and has said he was "extremely shocked and dismayed" to be arrested over the scandal.

His firm, Merlin Biosciences, was last year facing a separate Serious Fraud Office investigation over fraud allegations which he also denies.

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