Cointime

Download App
iOS & Android

Crypto Fugitive Do Kwon Faces US and South Korean Charges. Who Gets Him First?

Terraform Labs Pte co-founder Do Kwon is in a jail in Montenegro, but his ultimate destination will likely be the US or South Korea. Both countries have charged him in connection with an alleged cryptocurrency fraud that wiped out $40 billion in market value. 

But which country will get first crack at the TerraUSD creator? US and South Korean prosecutors have both said they will request Kwon’s extradition. Montenegro’s justice minister, Marko Kovac, said Wednesday a judge would decide how to proceed.

“Consideration will be given to the gravity of crimes, location of committed offenses, sequence of requests, as well as citizenship” of the suspects, Kovac said. He also said Kwon might need to serve time in Montenegro, where he was arrested for traveling on fake documents, before he’s extradited anywhere. 

Comments

All Comments

Recommended for you

  • Cointime August 11st News Express

    1.Fed Governor Bowman: Be cautious about rate cuts
  • Cointime August 4 News Express

    1.Jump Trading is redeeming 120,000 wstETH in batches into ETH and then transferring it to CEX
  • Jump Trading is redeeming 120,000 wstETH in batches into ETH and then transferring it to CEX

    According to the monitoring of on-chain analyst Yu Jin, Jump Trading may be selling ETH: they are currently redeeming a wstETH (120,000 pieces) worth $410 million in batches into ETH and then transferring it to exchanges such as Binance/OKX. So far, they have unpacked and redeemed 83,000 wstETH into 97,500 ETH in the 9 days since July 25. Among them, 66,000 ETH (191.4 million US dollars) have entered the exchange.At present, there are still 37,600 wstETH in their wstETH storage address that have not been transferred out; 11,500 stETH in the redemption ETH address is being redeemed into ETH; and 20,000 ETH in the ETH transfer address to the exchange are waiting to enter the exchange in batches.
  • Trump team files complaint over Harris inheriting $96 million in Biden campaign funds

    According to reports from foreign media, the Trump campaign team has filed a complaint with the Federal Election Commission, claiming that Biden's transfer of $96 million in campaign funds to Harris is illegal. David Warrington, a lawyer for the Trump campaign team, said that this was a "shameless money-grabbing act" and would constitute the largest excessive donation and most serious violation in the history of the Federal Election Law. Shortly after Biden withdrew from the election and appointed Harris as his preferred successor, she took over Biden's campaign committee's bank account. Steve Roberts, a lawyer who represented Republican candidates, said that the argument against the transfer was a "wishful thinking" of his Republican colleagues. The Harris campaign team said that this complaint would not affect its fundraising or spending.
  • Donald Trump Plans to Release Fourth NFT Collection, Embraces Crypto Industry

    Former US President Donald Trump is reportedly planning to release a fourth NFT collection, as he continues to embrace the crypto industry. In a recent interview with Bloomberg Businessweek, Trump stated that his previous NFT collections were "very successful" and sold out in a day. He also revealed that he plans to release another collection, as his supporters are demanding it. Trump's campaign has also started accepting crypto donations, and he has been vocal about the importance of the US not falling behind China in the crypto industry.
  • South Korea's Upcoming Legislative Election Puts Crypto-Related Policies in the Spotlight

    The upcoming legislative polls in South Korea may be influenced by the crypto-related promises made by the two main parties. With a significant number of crypto investors in the country, even a small percentage of voters casting their ballot based on crypto policies could have an impact on the election result. Young people, who make up the majority of the crypto ecosystem, are expected to play a crucial role in the election. The conservative People Power Party (PPP) plans to prioritize the establishment of a regulatory framework for cryptocurrencies before implementing any taxation policies, while the liberal Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) proposes a comprehensive framework but wants to maintain the start of crypto taxation in 2025. Both parties are competing for the support of crypto-savvy voters, but it is unlikely that market regulation will be implemented during this election year.
  • Cryptocurrency firm Terraform Labs and its founder Do Kwon committed fraud

    The US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ruled that the actions of cryptocurrency company Terraform Labs and its founder Do Kwon constitute fraud. The company's bankruptcy in 2022 resulted in a loss of $40 billion in investor funds.
  • Do Kwon will go on trial in Manhattan on Monday

    Terraform Labs and its founder Do Kwon will face trial in Manhattan on Monday, accused by regulators of lying to investors about the collapse of the company's two cryptocurrencies, LUNA and UST, which disrupted the market in 2022. Regulators also accuse them of falsely claiming that Terraform's blockchain was used for a popular mobile payment app in Korea. Do Kwon will not attend the trial. He was arrested in Montenegro last March and is awaiting extradition back to his home country of South Korea, where he faces criminal charges. A court in Montenegro postponed his extradition on Friday, citing concerns from the country's prosecutor's office about the extradition process.
  • Do Kwon will be released from Montenegro prison but will not be allowed to leave the country

    Do Kwon, co-founder of Terraform, will be released from prison in Montenegro, but due to several criminal charges brought by national authorities, he will remain in the Balkans. The High Court of Montenegro ordered the confiscation of Kwon's passport on Friday to prevent him from leaving the country. According to the court's order, Kwon will leave Spuž prison on Saturday. The prosecutor opposes extraditing Kwon to South Korea and would prefer him to be sent to the United States, where he could face a longer sentence if convicted.
  • Terra co-founder Do Kwon released, awaiting Supreme Court extradition decision

    Market news: Terra co-founder Do Kwon has been released and is awaiting the extradition decision of the Supreme Court.