Ever since the HP’s new CEO Leo Apotheker went missing from the media, Oracle has hired private investigators to find him out. After ouster of Mark Hurd from the position of CEO, Leo took over the position last week and since then he has not made a single official appearance. According to an HP official:

“Oracle had ample opportunity to question Leo during his sworn deposition in October 2008 and chose not to include him as a live trial witness until he was named CEO of HP. Given Leo’s limited knowledge of and role in the matter, Oracle’s last-minute effort to require him to appear live at trial is no more than an effort to harass him and interfere with his duties and responsibilities as HP’s CEO.”

Oracle’s investigators spotted Leo in Texas two weeks ago, but could not find him since last week. Oracle’s CEO Larry Ellison said that Leo is hiding from Oracle because he knew about the SAP’s theft.  But just take a look at our coverage on Oracle-SAP drama overload, and you’ll see why this just adds to the theatrics of the ongoing court case.

Ellison and his team have left a standing impression on the SAP case, and it’s going in a downward direction for SAP and HP alike.  We’re barely a week in, and already the melodrama has reached a boiling point.  It continues to press the question of whether or not Apotheker was the best choice for HP as a new CEO, but the personal overtones are difficult to avoid given the saga that the industry has endured this past year.

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