Key Points
- Craig Wright, who claimed to have invented Bitcoin, has been referred to U.K. prosecutors for alleged perjury.
- A U.K. judge ruled that Wright lied “extensively and repeatedly” about his claim to be the creator of Bitcoin.
Craig Wright, an Australian computer scientist who has claimed to be the inventor of Bitcoin (BTC), is now facing potential prosecution in the U.K. for alleged perjury.
This development comes after a judge at London’s High Court found that Wright had lied “extensively and repeatedly” in an attempt to support his false claims of being the creator of Bitcoin, the largest cryptocurrency by market capitalization.
Wright’s Claims and the Court’s Response
Wright has consistently claimed that he is the author of the 2008 whitepaper that introduced Bitcoin, using the pseudonym Satoshi Nakamoto.
However, in a recent ruling, Judge James Mellor concluded that the evidence overwhelmingly demonstrated that Wright was not Satoshi. This ruling was made in response to a legal challenge initiated by the Crypto Open Patent Alliance (COPA) to prevent Wright from suing Bitcoin developers.
Judge Mellor has referred the case to Britain’s Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) for consideration of perjury charges against Wright for lying under oath during the trial. The judge emphasized the seriousness of Wright’s actions, suggesting that they warrant referral to the CPS.
Further Legal Implications
Judge Mellor also stated that he believes the CPS should consider whether a prosecution should commence against Wright for his “wholesale perjury and forgery of documents”, whether a warrant for his arrest should be issued, and whether his extradition should be sought.
In a related development, Calvin Ayre, a billionaire supporter of Wright, announced on X, just a day after the High Court’s ruling, that he would be leaving the platform for an “adventure” that he has been planning for the past year. (source)
