Do Kwon, the South Korean founding father of the failed cryptocurrency Terra wished by police, has denied he was on the run after Singapore investigators stated he was not within the city-state as had been believed.
Kwon’s whereabouts have been thrown into query after a press release from Singapore police late on Saturday, and his tweets didn’t reveal the place he was.
The collapse of Terraform Labs earlier this yr wiped out about $40bn of investors’ money. Kwon has been accused of fraud by 5 buyers based mostly in South Korea; he’s being investigated by a monetary crimes unit and in the US by the Securities and Alternate Fee.
A South Korean court docket on Wednesday issued an arrest warrant for Kwon.
Early Sunday he stated on Twitter: “I’m ‘not on the run’ or something related”, however didn’t reveal the place he was.
“For any company that has proven curiosity to speak, we’re in full cooperation and we don’t have something to cover,” he added.
“We’re within the means of defending ourselves in a number of jurisdictions… and sit up for clarifying the reality over the subsequent few months.”
The 31-year-old was earlier believed to be in Singapore, the place final month he gave his first media interview since the crypto operator folded in May.
Late on Saturday, the Singapore police pressure stated in an e-mail response that “Do Kwon is at present not in Singapore”.
“SPF will help the Korean Nationwide Police Company (KNPA) throughout the ambit of our home laws and worldwide obligations,” stated the transient assertion, which gave no additional particulars.
Singapore’s Straits Occasions newspaper has reported that Kwon’s work allow within the city-state was because of expire on 7 December, however his utility for a renewal may very well be in danger now.
South Korean prosecutors have additionally issued arrest warrants for 5 different folks – who weren’t named – linked to stablecoin TerraUSD and its sister token Luna.
Kwon’s Terra/Luna system disintegrated in Could, with the value of each tokens plummeting to close zero, and the fallout hitting the broader crypto market. Its collapse sparked greater than $500 bn in losses.
Stablecoins are designed to have a comparatively steady worth and are normally pegged to a real-world commodity or foreign money.
TerraUSD, nonetheless, was algorithmic, utilizing code to keep up its worth at round one US greenback.
Many buyers misplaced their life financial savings when Luna and Terra entered a loss of life spiral, and South Korean authorities have opened a number of legal probes into the crash.
