Montenegrin Court Rejects Do Kwon’s Extradition Halt Request to South Korea

• There are several criminal offenses that Kwon may be extradited to face.
• The court ruled that the accused, Do Kwon, might be extradited to South Korea.

The appeal that Do Kwon, co-founder of Terraform Labs, filed to prevent his extradition to South Korea was denied by a Montenegrin court.

The Appellate Court of Montenegro said on March 20 that it had supported the high court’s decision to extradite Kwon to South Korea, where he holds his citizenship. There are “several criminal offenses” that the co-founder of Terraform Labs may be extradited to face.

The appellate court stated:

“Deciding on the appeal of the defendant’s counsel, the panel of the Court of Appeals assessed that the first-instance court had correctly established that the request of the Republic of South Korea arrived earlier in the order of arrival compared to the request of the USA.”

South Korea Leads the Charge

It ruled that the accused, Do Kwon, might be extradited to South Korea. Kwon was apprehended by Montenegrin authorities in March 2023 for using fraudulent travel credentials. Ever then, he has stayed put, even though the U.S and South Korea have both sought to extradite him.

It is quite probable that Kwon’s eight felony charges will continue to be heard in his U.S. criminal case, regardless of his ability to make an appearance in person. In February, a court in Montenegro ordered Kwon’s extradition to the United States. However, in March, his attorneys were successful in appealing the decision, and now South Korea is leading the charge.

To what extent Kwon’s legal team can challenge his extradition to South Korea is unknown. After Terra’s demise, the authorities began punishing those responsible for crypto-related crimes severely.