Montenegro Court Accepts Do Kwon’s Appeal, Rejects Extradition

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As per the latest ruling, a Montenegro court has accepted the appeal of Terra’s co-founder Do Kwon, rejecting his extradition to South Korea and the United States. 

Appeal Accepted

The Court of Appeals of Montenegro has overturned the previous decision by the Montenegro High Court to extradite Do Kwon, returning the case to the first instance court for retrial and decision. This decision comes after Do Kwon’s defence attorneys filed an appeal, citing significant violations of criminal procedure provisions.

The appellate court clarified that according to Article 29 of the Law on International Legal Assistance in Criminal Matters, the court, not the Minister of Justice, should make the decision on extradition. This distinction is crucial in extradition cases, ensuring proper legal procedures are followed.

The appellate court agreed with Do Kwon’s attorneys, stating that the wording of the previous decision was incomprehensible and failed to handle the extradition requests. The court highlighted procedural issues in handling the requests from South Korea and the United States, raising the need for a proper extradition procedure.

Implications for Do Kwon

Accepting Do Kwon’s appeal means that he will not be extradited to face charges in South Korea or the United States. Instead, the case will return to the first-instance court for reconsideration, offering a new opportunity for Kwon to present his defence.

Meanwhile, former Terraform Labs CFO Han Chang-joon has been extradited to South Korea after serving a prison sentence in Montenegro. The extradition of Han Chang-joon and the acceptance of Do Kwon’s appeal mark significant developments in the legal proceedings surrounding Terra and its founders.

Do Kwon, the co-founder of Terra, faced extradition requests from both South Korea and the United States related to financial crimes stemming from the collapse of the Terra ecosystem in May 2022. His extradition had been sought for charges related to the multi-billion dollar collapse, but the recent court decision has put his extradition on hold.

The acceptance of Do Kwon’s appeal by the Montenegro court signifies a temporary relief for the Terra co-founder. As the case returns to the first-instance court for retrial, stay tuned with Coinpedia to get the results of the outcome.