Alexey Pertsev, the developer behind america Workplace of Overseas Property Management (OFAC)-sanctioned crypto mixer Twister Money, has been denied bail whereas his legal professionals put together to submit an enchantment for costs of cash laundering.
Pertsev’s protection lawyer, Keith Cheng, told DL Information that the rejection of his bail request got here as a shock. He famous that an extra request for Pertsev to achieve entry to a pc to organize for his enchantment was additionally denied.
The court docket stated Pertsev’s continued detention wouldn’t hinder his means to organize his protection, including that Pertsev’s request for laptop entry went in opposition to its security protocol.
Pertsev’s lawyer, Judith de Boer, disagreed with the court docket’s resolution, saying that pre-trial detention involving “such basic” authorized questions was “unacceptable.”
“This unprecedented case addresses when a software program developer will be criminally accountable for third-party misuse,” added de Boer.
Pertsev was found guilty of money laundering within the ‘s-Hertogenbosch Courtroom of Enchantment within the Netherlands on Might 14.
The developer was sentenced to 5 years and 4 months in jail for allegedly laundering $1.2 billion value of illicit belongings on the platform.
The July 13 resolution marks the third time Pertsev’s request for bail has been denied.
In November 2023, a Dutch court docket denied the developer’s plea to be released under surveillance primarily based on the prosecution’s argument that Pertsev posed a flight threat.
The prosecution argued that Pertsev acted as a central determine in Twister Money’s operation. The developer’s bail was denied once more in February.
An X account affiliated with JusticeDAO, the group that offers with elevating funds for the authorized protection of the Twister Money builders, stated the ruling was a “gross miscarriage of justice” in a July 12 post on X.
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“Alexey will spend the following 12 months in jail whereas his authorized crew prepares for the enchantment listening to. It is a gross miscarriage of justice. Builders don’t belong in jail for the actions of third events,” wrote the account.
Throughout his March trial, Pertsev argued that he could not be held liable for the actions of those that used the Twister Money protocol for nefarious or unlawful functions.
The court docket rejected this argument, saying that if Pertsev and the opposite co-founders of Twister Money had actually needed to forestall criminals from abusing the protocol, they might have taken additional measures to make sure excessive safety.
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