Do Kwon set for US extradition, Montenegro Supreme Court rules
The court's decision comes after a legal tussle involving requests from both South Korea and the US.
Share this article
Do Kwon, the founder of Terra, will be extradited to the US following a ruling by the Montenegrin Supreme Court of Podgorica, according to local media site Pobjeda.
The High Court of Podgorica announced that Kwon will face charges in the US related to financial offenses.
Rejecting South Korea’s extradition request, the Montenegrin court determined that the US should take precedence. The Court of Appeal had previously directed the High Court to decide between the two nations’ requests. The High Court had found that the conditions for Kwon’s extradition were satisfied, leaving the final decision to Justice Minister Andrej Milović.
Since Kwon agreed to a shortened extradition process, the court itself made the final determination.
Kwon’s defense attorney, Goran Rodić, had argued for his client’s extradition to South Korea, citing legal reasons and international agreements. However, Justice Minister Milović described the decision as political, emphasizing the importance of the US as a key foreign policy partner and the desire to establish a bilateral extradition treaty.
Kwon and his associate Hon Chand Yun were arrested last year at the Podgorica airport with fake Costa Rican passports. They also possessed Belgian travel documents, which they claimed to have obtained through an agency in Singapore. Kwon admitted to noticing errors in the Belgian passports but did not suspect their authenticity.
While Kwon awaits extradition to the US, his associate Hon Chand Yun has already been extradited to South Korea.
Share this article
