Do Kwon Should be Extradited to South Korea, not United States, Lawyer Argues

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Jai Pratap

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Jai Pratap

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Jai serves as the Asia Desk Editor for Cryptonews.com, where he leads a diverse team of international reporters. Jai has over five years of experience covering the web3 industry.

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January 19, 2024 00:17 EST

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Do Kwon’s lawyer has argued that Terraform Labs’ co-founder should be extradited to South Korea and not the United States. The statement comes as a response to extradition requests from both countries, with Kwon currently in detention in Montenegro.

Goran Rodic, Kwon’s Montenegrin lawyer, said that based on the European Convention on the Extradition of Criminals, the bilateral agreement with the United States, and domestic laws on international legal support, Kwon should be extradited to South Korea.

According to Rodic, who spoke to the local daily Poveda, Do Kwon is a Korean citizen, and he is “100% sure that he should be repatriated.”

Political Motivations Maybe a Factor in Do Kwon’s Extradition

The situation is complicated by political considerations, as Montenegro’s Justice Minister Andrej Milovic hinted at a potential political decision in the extradition process.

In an interview in November with a local broadcast, Minister Milovic referred to the United States as the country’s “most important foreign policy partner.” This has raised questions about whether political factors may influence the final decision on Terra’s founder’s destination.

The U.S. Wall Street Journal reported in December last year that Minister Milovic announced plans to send Kwon to the United States to the U.S. Ambassador to Montenegro.

U.S. Trial Moved to Mid-March

Recent developments, including the postponement of the trial date in the U.S. federal court, have sparked speculation about potential motivations. The trial, initially scheduled for the 29th of this month, has been delayed by two months to March 25th, leading major foreign media outlets to analyze the decision in the context of Kwon’s possible extradition to the United States. Kwon’s American lawyer had reasoned that the trial should be pushed so that Kwon can attend the tiral.

Responding to media reports, Lawyer Rodic dismissed them as timed pressure tactics, stating, “It is no coincidence that these media reports are coming out at this point.”

Currently, Kwon’s legal team has appealed the decision of the Podgorica High Court in Montenegro. However, as per local reports, the final ruling on extradition will ultimately rest with Montenegro’s Justice Minister.