Bitcoin Inventor Faces UK Criminal Probe for Alleged Perjury

An Australian computer scientist who claimed to have invented Bitcoin is currently under criminal investigation in Britain for alleged perjury

The scientist was discovered to have fabricated documents and lied numerous times to substantiate his fraudulent claim.

Craig Wright had long maintained that he was the author of a 2008 white paper, the foundational text of Bitcoin, and was published under the pseudonym “Satoshi Nakamoto.”

Earlier this year, the 54-year-old conducted litigation in various countries, including the United States and Britain, by his claim. This culminated in a trial at London’s High Court.

The Crypto Open Patent Alliance, which includes Block (SQ.N), the payments firm founded by Twitter founder Jack Dorsey, dragged Wright to court to prevent him from suing bitcoin developers.

In March, Judge James Mellor determined that the evidence demonstrating that Wright was not Satoshi was “overwhelming.” In a written judgment issued in May, he stated that Wright had “lied extensively and repeatedly” and fabricated documents “on a grand scale” throughout the case.

In a subsequent ruling on Tuesday, the judge indicated that he was referring Wright to the Crown Prosecution Service in Britain to determine whether a prosecution should be initiated against him for his extensive forgery and perjury of documents.

Mellor also stated that prosecutors should evaluate “whether a warrant for his arrest should be issued and/or whether his extradition should be sought from wherever he is currently located.”

A spokesperson for Wright did not promptly address a request for comment. In February, Wright denied fabricating documents during his testimony, and in May, he declared his intention to request permission to appeal.

Mellor stated in Tuesday’s ruling that Dr. Wright has departed from his previous residence in Wimbledon (London), appears to have left the United Kingdom, is reportedly traveling, and was last identified as being in the UTC +7 time zone. His current location remains unclear.
The time zone encompasses regions in Siberia, Russia, and southeast Asia.