- Do Kwon has won an important appeal in Montenegro.
- The Terra co-founder has been in detention in the country since March last year.
- A lower court will retry his case.
Terraform Labs co-founder Do Kwon has won an appeal against a lower court’s decision to extradite him from Montenegro to the U.S., where he faces fraud charges.
Before his detention in Montenegro, along with Terraform Labs’ former finance officer in late March 2023, Do Kwon had been on the run after fleeing South Korea shortly before the collapse of the Terra ecosystem. The crash wiped out billions in valuation from the crypto industry.
Do Kwon Emerges Victorious in Extradition Appeal
According to a statement issued on March 5, the Appellate Court of Montenegro, after a session of the panel on Tuesday, issued a decision accepting Do Kwon’s appeal and annulled the decision of a lower court to extradite the defendant to the U.S.
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The Appellate Court panel argued that the first-instance decision of the High Court in Podgorica on February 20 violated various law provisions, granting the defendant a retrial.
“Deciding on the appeal of the defendant's defense attorneys, the panel of the Appellate Court assessed that the decision was affected by significant violations of the provisions of criminal procedure from Article 386 paragraph 1 points 8 and 9 of the CPC, because there are no clear and valid reasons for decisive facts regarding the order of arrival request letter,” the court wrote.
While this is a win for Do Kwon, the court’s decision doesn’t nullify a possible extradition in the future, especially if the trial process is consistent with the law. Meanwhile, a court in the U.S. warned that Do Kwon’s trial would proceed without further delays, whether he was present or not.
Read about the allegations Do Kwon is facing in South Korea:
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Do Kwon Faces Strengthened Allegations as ex-Terra Dev Testifies
Stay updated on why Do Kwon’s former CFO faces life in prison:
