In response to Craig Wright’s false claims of being the creator of Bitcoin and to prevent him from circumventing court orders, a UK judge has taken decisive action. The judge issued a global asset freezing order, effectively halting £6 million ($7.6 million) worth of Craig Wright’s assets and prohibiting any offshore transfers, as detailed in legal filings from Thursday.
Judge James Mellor, in the document, stated, “Yesterday, I granted a worldwide freezing order (‘WFO’) in the sum of £6m, on an application brought by the Crypto Open Patent Alliance (‘COPA’) against Dr Craig Wright.”
The judge has observed Craig Wright’s track record of failing to comply with payment directives.
The court’s decision follows a legal battle initiated by the Crypto Open Patent Alliance (COPA) challenging Craig Wright’s claims of being Satoshi Nakamoto, the mysterious figure behind Bitcoin’s creation.
In the ruling delivered on March 14, Judge Mellor not only discredited Wright’s assertions but also affirmed that he did not create the Bitcoin white paper or the initial versions of the Bitcoin software.
Shortly after the court’s verdict, Wright took steps to transfer shares of his RCJBR Holding company to DeMorgan, a Singapore-based entity. This move raised concerns that Wright might be trying to avoid the financial repercussions of the court’s decision, particularly the substantial costs associated with the case, which totaled around £6.7 million.
In the judgment, Judge Mellor pointed out Wright’s past history of failing to comply with payment orders and expressed genuine concerns that he might dissipate his assets to evade his financial obligations.
The judge recognized COPA’s strong argument for significant costs and concluded that there was a substantial risk of asset dissipation.
“After carefully considering COPA’s cost arguments and attempting to anticipate potential counterarguments on behalf of Dr. Wright, I determined that the appropriate amount for the Worldwide Freezing Order (WFO) was £6 million,” he stated.
Craig Wright’s Claim to be Satoshi Nakamoto Debunked
The judgment debunking Craig Wright’s claim to be Satoshi Nakamoto was delivered after the final arguments in the case filed by COPA against Wright.
COPA, an entity dedicated to fostering the adoption and progression of cryptocurrency technologies by eliminating patents as impediments to development and innovation, pursued injunctive measures to halt Wright from persisting in his assertions of being Nakamoto.
“One fact above all is true about cryptocurrency and digital assets, and that fact is this: Craig Wright is not Satoshi Nakamoto.”
– @iampaulgrewal on ABC News pic.twitter.com/6E3Fqtu8JV
— hodlonaut 80 IQ 13%er 🌮⚡🔑 🐝 (@hodlonaut) March 28, 2024
The case unfolded with a cascade of damning accusations against Craig Wright, alleging extensive document forgery aimed at bolstering his assertion of being the elusive founder of Bitcoin, Satoshi Nakamoto.
COPA’s final presentation in the trial delivered a searing indictment, portraying Wright as a master of deception who meticulously crafted a false narrative, complete with a fabricated personal history and a trove of counterfeit documents, all designed to lend credence to his claims. The scope of the alleged deception, as revealed through the evidence presented, was described as staggering, painting a portrait of falsehoods perpetrated on an unprecedented scale.
In a further blow to Wright’s credibility, recent investigations have cast doubt on his insistence that he is the sole identity behind the enigmatic Satoshi Nakamoto. Emerging evidence suggests that Nakamoto may not be an individual but rather a collective entity. This revelation hinges on linguistic clues found within the Bitcoin white paper, where the usage of both “we” and “I” hints at the possibility of a team working collaboratively under a single pseudonym, challenging the notion of Nakamoto as a solitary figure.
