Second Autogen director resigns

Two weeks after former Prime Minister Bob Hawke resigned from the board of Autogen (ASX: AGT), a second director has resigned, citing other business commitments.

Dr Jeffery Jonas, like Hawke a non-executive director of the Melbourne-based biotech, resigned from the board in order to concentrate on his commitments to his own company, Pareto Group - a biotechnology product development and planning business.

Autogen company secretary Peter Lee said the company was obviously disappointed to hear Jonas planned to leave after nine months on the board.

"It's one of those things that happens from time to time," Lee said. "We will just continue with our operations and if we come across people who would be suitable for the board we will look at that."

He said Autogen now had three board members, which was the minimum requirement for Australian companies.

Lee vehemently opposed suggestions the directors' resignations were in any way linked with an ongoing defamation case involving managing director Joseph Gutnick and United States publishing group Dow Jones over an internet article.

Gutnick sued Dow Jones over an article in its Barron's magazine, claiming that it implied he had laundered money through jailed Victorian money-launderer Nachum Goldberg.

But Lee said the case, to be heard before the Victorian High Court on May 28, was a private matter for Gutnick and unrelated to the board of Autogen.