Regulation
Craig Wright charged with perjury
The Bitcoin paternity saga continues after a British judge handed over Craig Wright’s case to UK prosecutors for alleged perjury and falsification of documents. The move follows the latest ruling in the legal battle between the Australian computer scientist and the Crypto Open Patent Alliance (COPA).
COPA v. Wright Case Regarding Bitcoin Authorship
Over the years, Craig Wright has faced several legal battles for his attempts to protect the Bitcoin whitepaper and claim authorship of BTC. His claim to be the person behind the pseudonymous identity of Satoshi Nakamoto began in 2016 and has been heavily contested by the crypto industry and its figures.
In its latest attempt to disprove the authorship of the Australian computer scientist behind the flagship cryptocurrency, COPA has sued Wright in a British court. According to the ruling, Justice James Mellor found that Wright was not the creator of Bitcoin because the plaintiff provided “overwhelming evidence” to debunk the allegations.
Furthermore, Judge Mellor granted a $7.6 million worldwide freezing order (WFO) on Wright’s assets due to the high risk of avoiding payment costs of the case. Certain of the defendant’s maneuvers and transactions raised alarm bells and led the plaintiff to believe that Wright might be trying to avoid the “costs and consequences of his loss at trial.”
According to the judgment, COPA made a “very compelling” claim for a substantial sum. The judge considered Wright’s “history of defaulting on payment orders” and his history of lying that necessitated the granting of a WFO.
In May, Justice Mellor delivered his written judgment in the case. In the document, the judge concluded that Wright had “extensively and repeatedly” lied in his written and oral evidence. In addition, Wright was alleged to have “falsified documents on a large scale” to support his allegations.
UK Judge concludes Wright lied in trial evidence. Source: Find Case Law
UK judge refers Wright case to CPS
On Tuesday, COPA’s application to hand over the documents to the UK Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) was granted. Mr Justice Mellor argued that “if what happened in this case does not justify a referral to the CPS, it is difficult to envisage a case that would.”
The British judge said Wright’s “sinister and mendacious” campaign to support his claim required an “extraordinary” response.
Excerpt of Tusday's Court ruling. Source: Find Case Law
As a result, the case was referred to the CPS to determine whether Wright should be prosecuted for “massive perjury and falsification of documents”.
I am satisfied that I must forward the relevant documents in this case to the CPS for consideration as to whether proceedings should be brought against Dr Wright for perjury and falsification of documents and/or whether a warrant should be issued for his arrest and/or whether his extradition should be sought from wherever he may currently be. All of these matters must be determined by the CPS.
The document also states that the Australian computer scientist’s whereabouts are unknown. Evidence presented by COPA revealed that Wright LEFT his previous residence in Wimbledon and has apparently left the UK.
Wright apparently travels to countries in the UTC+7 time zone, which includes locations in Siberia and Southeast Asia. Ultimately, the court found that Wright committed a “very serious abuse” of the process of the British, Norwegian and American courts in pursuing his claims to be Satoshi Nakamoto and the creator of Bitcoin.
Bitcoin (BTC) is trading at $63,850 in the weekly chart. Source: BTCUSDT on TradingView
Featured image from Unsplash.com, chart from TradingView.com