What is the future direction of Kwon Do-hyung, the key figure in the ‘Terra/Luna’ crash?… Depends on the choice of the Attorney General

The whereabouts of Kwon Do-hyeong, a key figure in the collapse of virtual currency ‘Terra Luna’, have been handed over to the Minister of Justice of Montenegro. Given that the Attorney General, who holds the final key, is someone who has made clear his stance on going to the United States, the possibility of repatriation to the United States is currently being weighed.

According to local daily newspapers Vijesti and Pobedaga on the 10th (local time), the High Court of Podgorica in Montenegro decided to grant permission for extradition of Mr. Kwon, saying that the legal requirements for extradition to Korea and the United States were met. Podgorica High Court Public Relations Director Mariya Rakovich said the final decision on the extradition office would be made by Justice Minister Andrej Milovic.

The Podgorica High Court already made a decision to grant extradition in November of last year, saying that the legal requirements for Mr. Kwon’s extradition were met as a result of reviewing the extradition requests from Korea and the United States. However, the decision was later invalidated by the Supreme Court’s ruling, forcing the Podgorica High Court to repeat the extradition review.

Montenegro’s Supreme Court ruled that the Podgorica High Court’s decision to extradite criminals was beyond the court’s authority and was not lawful. After receiving a request from the Supreme Prosecutor’s Office to determine the legality, the Supreme Court invalidated the decision to extradite Kwon to Korea on the 5th and sent the case back to the original trial, Podgorica High Court.

The Supreme Court stated in its ruling at the time, “In a situation where two countries are competing for extradition of a criminal, the court’s duty is to determine whether the requirements for extradition of the defendant are met.” He continued, “The decision to approve or prioritize extradition of criminals should be made by the competent minister, not the court.” In effect, the Supreme Court has confined the court’s authority to determining whether the legal requirements for extradition are met.

In the end, the final extradition decision was left in the hands of the Minister of Justice. Although Mr. Kwon’s side still has to go through the appeal process, given that Minister Milovic has repeatedly expressed his desire for Mr. Kwon to go to the United States, there is speculation that the possibility of Mr. Kwon being extradited to the United States has increased. Minister Milovic has been weighing going to the U.S., saying in a local broadcast interview in November last year, “The U.S. is our most important foreign policy partner,” regarding Kwon’s extradition office.

Mr. Kwon’s side can appeal within three days from the date of receiving the translated judgment from the Podgorica High Court. It is not yet known whether Mr. Kwon will appeal. Mr. Kwon, co-founder of Terraform Labs, disappeared after leaving for Singapore in April 2022, right before the cryptocurrency ‘Terra Luna’ crash occurred. Mr. Kwon later crossed into Montenegro via the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Serbia, and was arrested at the local airport on March 23 last year when his fake passport was discovered.

Mr. Kwon, who was sentenced to four months in prison for using a fake passport, was released after completing his sentence on the 23rd of last month and was transferred to a foreigner detention center.

Reporter Junho Yoon [email protected]

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