The Bitcoin authorship saga continues after a UK judge directed Craig Wright’s case to British prosecutors for alleged perjury and forgery of documents. The direction follows the latest ruling in the legal battle between the Australian computer scientist and the Crypto Open Patent Alliance (COPA).
COPA Vs. Wright Bitcoin Authorship Case
Over the years, Craig Wright has faced several legal battles for his attempts to copyright Bitcoin’s whitepaper and claim BTC’s authorship. His claim to be the person behind the pseudonym identity of Satoshi Nakamoto began in 2016 and has been highly contested by the crypto industry and its figures.
In the latest attempt to disprove the Australian computer scientist’s authorship of the flagship cryptocurrency, COPA took Wright to court in the UK. Per the ruling, Judge James Mellor concluded that Wright wasn’t Bitcoin’s creator as the plaintiff provided “overwhelming evidence” to debunk these claims.
Additionally, Judge Mellor granted a Worldwide Freezing Order (WFO) of $7.6 million in Wright’s assets due to the high avoidance risk of the case’s payment costs. Some of the defendant’s moves and transactions raised the alarm and led the plaintiff to believe Wright could try to evade the “costs and consequences of his loss at trial.”
According to the ruling, COPA presented a “very powerful” claim to be awarded a substantial sum. The judge considered Wright’s “history of default about orders for the payment of money” and his lying track record required the WFO.
In May, Judge Mellor released his written judgment regarding the case. In the document, the judge concluded that Wright had “extensively and repeatedly” lied in his written and oral evidence. Additionally, Wright is believed to have “forged documents on a grand scale” to support his claim.
UK Judge concludes Wright lied in trial evidence. Source: Find Case Law
UK Judge Directs Wright’s Case To CPS
On Tuesday, COPA’s request to refer the papers to Britain’s Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) was granted. Judge Mellor argued that “if what happened with this case does not warrant referral to the CPS, it is difficult to envisage a case which would.”
The UK judge believes Wright’s “sinister and mendacious” campaign to back his claim requires an “extraordinary” response.
Excerpt of Tusday’s Court ruling. Source: Find Case Law
As a result, the case was directed to the CPS to consider whether Wright should be prosecuted for “wholescale perjury and forgery of documents.”
I have no doubt that I should refer the relevant papers in this case to the CPS for consideration of whether a prosecution should be commenced against Dr Wright for his wholescale perjury and forgery of documents and/or whether a warrant for his arrest should be issued and/or whether his extradition should be sought from wherever he now is. All those matters are to be decided by the CPS.
Moreover, the document states that the Australian computer scientist’s whereabouts are unknown. Evidence presented by COPA revealed that Wright left his previous residence at Wimbledon and has seemingly left the UK.
Wright is seemingly traveling in countries under the UTC +7 time zone, which includes locations in Russia’s Siberia and Southeast Asia. Ultimately, the court believes that Wright committed a “most serious abuse” of the process of UK, Norway, and USA courts to advance his claims of being Satoshi Nakamoto and Bitcoin’s creator.
Bitcoin (BTC) is trading at $63,850 in the weekly chart. Source: BTCUSDT on TradingView
Featured Image from Unsplash.com, Chart from TradingView.com
