Wright’s actions have always drawn sharp criticism from the crypto community. In 2021, Ethereum founder Vitalik Buterin publicly called Wright a scammer.
Craig Wright, who has long claimed to be Bitcoin’s mysterious creator Satoshi Nakamoto, is now facing potential perjury charges in the United Kingdom. A High Court judge in London has referred the Australian computer scientist to British prosecutors after finding that he lied extensively to prove his identity as Nakamoto.
On July 16, Judge James Mellor stated that Wright had fabricated evidence and lied throughout the legal proceedings to support his claim of being the author of the 2008 Bitcoin whitepaper, a document that laid the foundation for Bitcoin. The Crypto Open Patent Alliance (COPA) brought the case against Wright, seeking a definitive ruling on his claims.
Mellor stated that Wright’s actions amounted to a deliberate and extensive scheme of forgery and deceit. The judge referred the case to the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) to consider whether Wright should face charges of perjury and forgery. The judgment states:
“As COPA submitted, if what happened in this case does not warrant referral to the CPS, it is difficult to envisage a case which would.”
This means that the CPS might consider issuing a warrant for Craig Wright’s arrest or seeking his extradition if necessary. Judge Mellor has also acknowledged the involvement of nChain’s chairman, Stefan Matthews, in this false portrayal of Wright as Satoshi Nakamoto.
Crypto Community Criticizes
COPA, supported by several prominent figures and organizations such as Coinbase, MicroStrategy, Jack Dorsey, and Kraken, presented substantial evidence and expert testimonies in court. It exposed inconsistencies in Wright’s claims of being Bitcoin’s creator.
In addition, Wright also “made highly aggressive threats, including to bankrupt Bitcoin developers, have them imprisoned and to have them defenestrated”, as per the evidence.
Wright’s actions have drawn sharp criticism from the crypto community. In 2021, Ethereum founder Vitalik Buterin publicly called Wright a scammer. Venture capitalist Christen Ager-Hanssen shared the news on X, stating:
“Both [Stefan Matthews and Craig Wright] are deeply complicit in this fraudulent scheme that has misled and deceived countless people. The court’s decision […] is a major development in the Satoshi Nakamoto saga and a step towards justice.”
Asset Freeze
Meanwhile, a legal document filed on July 5 revealed that the High Court of the United Kingdom had issued a Worldwide Freezing Order against him.
This order effectively froze Craig Wright’s assets to help entrepreneur Peter McCormack, who Wright had sued for libel in 2019. The freeze allowed McCormack to obtain $1.9 million (£1.5 million) in legal fees incurred during the libel case.
next