Do Kwon, the co-founder of Terraform Labs, may not face extradition to South Korea after a challenge by Montenegrin prosecutors. They have requested a protection of legality from the Supreme Court of Montenegro, arguing that the appellate court violated procedure in rejecting an appeal from Kwon’s legal team. The prosecutors believe that only the Supreme Court has the authority to make a decision in this case. The Montenegrin courts have been considering whether to extradite Kwon to the United States or South Korea, where he may face criminal charges related to his involvement with Terraform Labs.
Initially, it appeared that Kwon would be extradited to South Korea after a decision on March 20. The prosecutors have argued that the Supreme Court could change this decision. They claim that the court did not follow proper procedure and overstepped its powers by making a decision on the extradition permit, which should be the responsibility of the Minister of Justice. Kwon, a South Korean citizen, seemingly prefers extradition to his home country over the United States due to the South Korean government’s strict penalties for crypto-related crimes.
In contrast, the United States has seen high-profile figures from the crypto space, such as Sam Bankman-Fried, Changpeng Zhao, and Alex Mashinsky, facing criminal charges or convictions for their involvement with FTX, Binance, and Celsius, respectively. Kwon was arrested in Montenegro in March 2023 for using falsified travel documents and was sentenced to four months in prison. The country is now considering extradition requests from both the United States and South Korea.
South Korean authorities have already indicted several individuals associated with Terraform Labs, including co-founder Hyun-seong Shin. Han Chang-joon, the former chief financial officer of the firm, was also arrested in Montenegro but was extradited to South Korea in February. The case involving Do Kwon’s extradition has now reached the Supreme Court of Montenegro, where a verdict could potentially overturn the previous court decision and determine whether he will face charges in South Korea or be extradited to the United States.
South Korean authorities are cracking down on crypto-related crimes, and Kwon shouldn’t be exempt from facing the consequences.
So, Kwon wants to escape the US and go to South Korea? Just seems like he wants an easier way out.
This whole situation is a mess and shows how complicated extradition cases can be. 😩