Terra co-founder indicted for forging legal documents
Zach Anderson Apr 22, 2023 08:25
The Prosecutor’s Office of the State of Podgorica has indicted former Terraform Labs co-founder Do Kwon for allegedly forging legal documents. Kwon was arrested in March after allegedly attempting to board a flight to Dubai with fake documents. Han Chang-jun, Terraform’s former CFO, is facing similar charges.
Prosecutors in Montenegro have issued indictments to Do Kwon, the former co-founder and CEO of Terraform Labs, for allegedly forging legal documents. Kwon was arrested on March 23 while attempting to board a private plane at an airport in Podgorica, the capital of Montenegro. According to reports, he was using fake documents while attempting to board a flight to Dubai. Following Kwon's arrest, Han Chang-jun, Terraform's former chief financial officer, was also arrested in Podgorica and is facing similar charges.
The Prosecutor’s Office of the State of Podgorica has now indicted Kwon for his alleged involvement in the forgery of legal documents. The Korean industry-focused news agency Block Media reported on April 20 that the Montenegro prosecutors had requested an extension of the detention period for the two former Terraform executives after issuing the indictments.
Meanwhile, Shin Hyun-seung, another co-founder of Terraform, also known as Daniel Shin, is still walking free in South Korea. Local authorities have attempted to arrest Shin, but the Seoul Southern District Court denied the request. After questioning Shin, the court stated that there was little likelihood that he would flee or destroy any evidence related to the fall of Terra.
The news of Kwon's indictment comes amid global prosecutors reaching major milestones in procedures involving some cryptocurrency executives. On April 20, the Turkish police detained Faruk Fatih Ozer, founder and former CEO of Thodex, who allegedly fled Turkey with $2 billion stolen from the exchange in 2021.
Terraform Labs is a blockchain-based platform that enables the creation of stablecoins pegged to fiat currencies. The company was founded in 2018 by Do Kwon, Daniel Shin, and Ryan John King. The platform's native token, LUNA, has seen significant growth in recent months, reaching an all-time high of $22.41 on April 4, 2021. Terraform Labs has raised over $25 million in funding to date and has partnerships with several major companies, including Binance and Huobi.
However, the company has faced significant challenges in recent months. In February 2021, the price of LUNA plummeted after the company's Mirror Protocol was hit by a flash loan attack, resulting in a loss of $370,000. The company has also faced criticism over the high fees associated with using its platform.
Terraform Labs has been actively working to address these issues and has announced several new initiatives in recent weeks. The company is reportedly working on a new stablecoin pegged to the South Korean won, and is also exploring the use of non-fungible tokens (NFTs) on its platform. Despite the challenges, Terraform Labs remains a major player in the cryptocurrency industry and is likely to continue to drive innovation and growth in the sector.
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