Montenegro’s top prosecutor pushes back against Do Kwon extradition
The Prosecutor General’s Office of Montenegro says the decision to deport Terraform Labs founder Do Kwon to South Korea was illegal.
According to a statement from the prosecutor’s office dated March 21, the Minister of Justice can only make a decision on a simplified procedure for the extradition of Terraform co-founder Do Kwon Labs to the Republic of Korea.
Prosecutors say the Supreme Court exceeded its authority by shortening the extradition hearing and granting permission. During the appeal, the court did not hear the prosecutor’s office’s arguments, which is also a violation of Montenegro’s legislation.
“The Supreme State Prosecutor’s Office proposed to the Supreme Court to determine that the request for protection of legality was founded and to issue a verdict that would change the Court’s decision.”
Prosecutor General’s Office of Montenegro statement
The Prosecutor General’s Office invites the Supreme Court to consider the request and cancel the decision to extradite Do Kwon. If the decision is approved, he will remain in Montenegro indefinitely.
The case of extraditing the entrepreneur has become the subject of many legal proceedings. In November 2023, the Supreme Court of Montenegro approved the extradition but later transferred the decision to extradite Do Kwon to a specific country to the Ministry of Justice.
The defendant’s lawyers later appealed the ruling, after which a higher court overturned the verdict. After some time, information appeared that the entrepreneur would be handed over to the U.S. authorities. However, Do Kwon’s defense successfully appealed this decision.
In early March, the Supreme Court of Montenegro approved the extradition of the former head of Terraform Labs to South Korea. The verdict provides a simplified process for handing over the accused to the country’s authorities for further prosecution.
U.S. authorities, who also brought charges against Do Kwon, plan to appeal the decision in their favor. The SEC accuses the founder of Terraform Labs and his company of fraud that caused billions in losses.
