The ruling from Judge Mellor has arrived for Craig Wright: referral to British prosecutors for a potential criminal investigation on charges of perjury.
On July 16, the verdict was released for Australian entrepreneur Craig Wright following his defeat in the COPA vs CSW trial. Wright has long claimed to be the creator of Bitcoin, Satoshi Nakamoto. However, his claims have been completely refuted by a ruling from Judge James Mellor of the High Court in London.
Last March, Mellor’s judgment established that Wright had lied extensively to support his claims of being Satoshi Nakamoto. The judge concluded that the evidence presented by Wright was insufficient to support his declarations.
Referral to British prosecutors
In the verdict, Judge Mellor wrote that Wright’s conduct warrants a referral to the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), the main public agency responsible for conducting criminal investigations in England and Wales, to consider initiating a criminal investigation on charges of perjury. Mellor also emphasized that the severity of Wright’s actions and false statements could result in an arrest warrant or extradition.
Wright will also be prevented from pursuing further legal proceedings in any jurisdiction to re-litigate his claim of being Satoshi Nakamoto. Furthermore, he will be required to publish a notice with the main verdict on his website for 6 months, on Twitter, and Slack for 3 months.
IT expert Stefan Matthews, who worked with Wright, has also been referred to the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS).
Freezing of Wright’s assets
On July 5, the High Court of the United Kingdom issued a World Freezing Order on Wright’s assets. The order was issued to cover part of the expenses of podcaster Peter McCormack, who was sued by Wright for defamation in 2019. The asset freeze allowed McCormack to recover approximately £1.5 million (about $1.9 million) in legal fees incurred in the case.
