Bitcoin
Self-proclaimed bitcoin inventor faces criminal investigation in UK over alleged perjury
LONDON, July 16 (Reuters) – An Australian computer scientist who claimed to have invented bitcoin faces a criminal investigation in Britain for alleged perjury after it emerged he repeatedly lied and falsified documents to support his false claim.
Craig Wright has long claimed to have authored a 2008 white paper, the foundational text of bitcoin, published under the pseudonym “Satoshi Nakamoto.”
The 54-year-old took legal action based on his claim across the world, including in the United States and Britain, culminating in a trial at the High Court in London earlier this year. The Crypto Open Patent Alliance – whose members include Twitter founder Jack Dorsey’s payments company Block (SQ.N), opens new tab – took Wright to court to stop him from suing bitcoin developers. Judge James Mellor ruled in March that the evidence that Wright was not Satoshi was “overwhelming”, saying in a judgment written in May, that Wright lied “extensively and repeatedly” and falsified documents “on a massive scale” during the case.
The judge said in another ruling on Tuesday that he was referring Wright to Britain’s Public Prosecution Service to consider “whether prosecutions should be brought against Dr Wright for his large-scale perjury and document falsification”.
Mellor also said prosecutors should consider “whether an arrest warrant should be issued and/or whether his extradition should be sought from wherever he is now.”
A spokesman for Wright did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Wright denied falsified documents when he gave evidence in February and said in May that he intended to seek permission to appeal.
His current whereabouts are unknown and Mellor said in Tuesday’s ruling: “The evidence shows that Dr Wright has left his previous residence in Wimbledon (in London), appears to have left the UK, is believed to be travelling and was last located in the UTC +7 time zone.”
The time zone includes locations in Southeast Asia and Siberia, Russia.
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Reporting by Sam Tobin; Editing by Sachin Ravikumar and Tomasz Janowski
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