Craig Wright questioned on Tulip Trust, denies Kleiman’s role in court

Craig Wright’s sixth day of cross-examination saw the judge delve deeper into his connections with David Kleiman and the complex details surrounding the Tulip Trust.

According to the courtroom conversation noted by BitMex Research, today’s session was marked by intense scrutiny of Wright’s past declarations and his relationship with the late Kleiman, shedding light on the complexities of their partnership and the foundational days of Bitcoin.

The court pressed Wright on Kleiman’s involvement in the Tulip Trust, a series of trusts that Wright previously claimed were established to manage a significant portion of early mined Bitcoins.

Wright’s responses fluctuated under questioning from the judge, particularly when confronted with his previous claims that Kleiman was a trustee, a statement he later asserted he had been forced into the declaration under the threat of contempt.

This prompted a further inquiry from the judge, leading to Wright’s understanding and management of the trust’s documents and his assertion that he never officially acted as a trustee.

Adding another layer to the day’s proceedings were questions about Wright’s blog posts, specifically one dated January 2009, which could potentially associate him with the creation of Bitcoin. Wright distanced himself from the management and authorship of the blog, attributing it to a third party.

Wright maintained that the content of his blogs did not conclusively show him as Satoshi Nakamoto, further complicating the narrative around the identity of Bitcoin’s creator.

Kleiman and his relation to Craig Wright

David Kleiman was an American computer forensics expert widely known within the cryptocurrency community for his alleged connections to the creation of Bitcoin. Kleiman, who passed away in 2013, was a computer scientist and security expert, having worked in various capacities related to computer security and forensics. 

After Kleiman’s death, a legal battle ensued between his estate and Wright. The estate claimed that Kleiman was involved in the creation of Bitcoin and, therefore, his estate is entitled to a portion of the Bitcoin fortune that Wright allegedly controls.

The lawsuit brought Kleiman’s name into the spotlight within the cryptocurrency world, raising questions about his possible role in the development of Bitcoin. Despite these claims and legal battles, there is no definitive proof that Kleiman had a direct role in the creation of Bitcoin.