The UK court’s decision may lead to Craig Wright‘s arrest for perjury after he recently claimed to be the inventor of Bitcoin. COPA discovered violations in listing patents on the public platform and filed the lawsuit in 2021. Judge James Mellor stated that Wright was not Satoshi Nakamoto and labeled him a liar.
Craig Wright Faces Perjury Charges Over Bitcoin
COPA, supported by influential community members such as Jack Dorsey and the Coinbase exchange, intended to prevent Wright from claiming the copyrights for Bitcoin and stop him from suing Bitcoin developers. Mellor’s decision in March was that Wright was not Nakamoto, and in May, he said that Wright had lied under oath.
In the recent filing, Mellor recommended that the CPS prosecute Wright for perjury and forgery. The judge said he was quite sure about passing the case to the CPS and also proposed the possibility of an arrest warrant and extradition.
Judge Questions Witness in Wright Perjury Case
Mellor also challenged the evidence given by Stefan Matthews, Wright’s second witness, as untimely. He said that Matthews stood with Wright, who had made false allegations about Nakamoto. COPA had stated that Matthews was instrumental in promoting Wright’s campaign.
Wright hails from Australia and moved to the UK in 2015. He has since started using the UK courts to gag opponents and use legal procedures to hinder the growth of cryptocurrency. As mentioned earlier, Mellor pointed out that lawsuits filed by Wright hurt the developers and exchanges of Bitcoin.
Court Freezes Wright’s $7.6 Million Assets
In addition to the perjury referral, Mellor ordered the freezing of $7.6 million of Wright’s assets worldwide. This amount is the trial costs of COPA, which Wright has to return. Further, in the McCormack case, the UK court later directed an additional 1.55 million pounds freeze.
On another front, COPA sought 85% of its costs, close to 6 million pounds, plus 115,000 pounds. Mellor concurred that 85% was reasonable for the interim payment, and therefore, Coinbase was entitled to 85% of the costs;
The legal actions against Wright included three libel lawsuits in 2019. One suit against Roger Ver was thrown out, and the other against Peter McCormack led to a one-pound verdict. The defamation case that Wright brought against Hodlonaut, the pseudonymous Bitcoiner, was first brought to Norway, where Wright suffered a loss.
Court Restrains Wright from Further Claims
Mellor wanted orders restraining Wright from going to court with other similar claims that he is Nakamoto. He permitted an injunction against Wright to restrain him from commencing or continuing any proceedings in any jurisdiction to the claim. Nevertheless, he did not oppose Wright, stating that he was Nakamoto or the author of the Bitcoin whitepaper.
Mellor added that Wright could continue with the public utterances once the legal issues are sorted out. He gave COPA two years to seek further injunctive relief if necessary, ensuring the companies and the Bitcoin community get the protection they need.
