The founder of Terraform Labs, the crypto firm behind the Terra (LUNA) collapse has won an appeal in Montenegro over being extradited to the United States.
According to a statement from the Montenegro Appeals Court, the decision to extradite Terra founder Do Kwon to the US or South Korea has been overturned.
Kwon was initially arrested by authorities in Montenegro in late March for using a fake Costa Rican passport, though he argued in court that he obtained the passport through a legitimate agency.
At the time, Montenegro was reportedly considering extraditing Kwon to the US. Montenegro Justice Minister Andrej Milovic allegedly expressed a preference for sending Kwon to the US rather than South Korea, which also seeks to prosecute him.
Both the US and South Korea want him extradited to face fraud charges related to the $40 billion collapse of the Terra ecosystem in 2022.
After a court in Montenegro approved Kwon’s extradition to both countries, Kwon appealed the ruling. After winning the appeal, the Appeals Court ordered a retrial in the Podgorica Basic Court due to a judge who refused to hear Kwon’s arguments.
Montenegro Justice Minister Andrej Milovic will have the final decision on where Kwon is extradited, if at all.
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