Do Kwon, co-founder of Terraform Labs, has lodged another appeal against the Montenegro High Court’s decision to uphold extradition requests from the United States and South Korea. Kwon, who has been entangled in a legal battle, is facing criminal charges in both countries, including fraud, following the collapse of his multi-billion-dollar crypto enterprise in May 2022.
In November, Do Kwon successfully appealed to overturn the initial decision by the Montenegro High Court, which deemed the extradition requests legally sound.
However, on December 29, the same court reversed its stance in a surprising turn of events, ruling that the extradition requests were valid. Kwon’s Montenegro lawyer, Goran Rodic, announced this development and confirmed that they have appealed the decision again, awaiting a new ruling from the Court of Appeal.
Do Kwon complex legal landscape and political pressure
Kwon’s legal team contends that the High Court’s recent decision “drastically violates the provisions of the law, the European Convention on Extradition, and the bilateral treaty with America on extradition,” according to Rodic.
Additionally, Rodic suggested that political pressure may be exerted on the court, which could impact the outcome of Kwon’s extradition case, raising concerns about the fairness of the legal process.
Do Kwon and an associate were arrested in Montenegro last year on charges of possessing falsified official documents. Subsequently, they were sentenced to four months in prison. While Kwon serves his sentence in Montenegro, the country is tasked with approving his extradition and determining the destination to which he will be transferred.
International legal battle
The extradition case of Do Kwon has garnered significant attention due to the global implications surrounding the former crypto mogul’s legal troubles. With criminal charges pending against him in both the United States and South Korea, Kwon’s extradition has become a complex international legal battle, with multiple jurisdictions and interests at play.
As Kwon’s legal battle intensifies, his U.S. counsel has also requested courts in the United States to delay a securities fraud trial against him to allow him to attend the trial in person. The outcome of this request remains uncertain and further complicates the already convoluted legal proceedings facing the disgraced entrepreneur.
