Craig Wright suffered a decisive blow in court today as the UK Supreme Court weighed in on the penalties and injunctive relief in his case against the Crypto Open Patent Alliance (COPA). During the proceedings, detailed in live updates from What The Finance on .
Jonathan Hough KC highlighted the significant chilling effect Wright’s actions had on cryptocurrency development, noting that five developers had walked away from projects due to Wright’s aggressive legal strategies. He emphasized the need for substantial interim measures to prevent Wright from perpetuating his claims that he is Satoshi Nakamoto and to protect the integrity of the crypto ecosystem.
Hough described Wright’s previous prosecutions against individuals such as Hodlonaut and Peter McCormack, portraying Wright’s actions as vengeful attempts to destroy the lives of those who questioned his legitimacy. What The Finance reported was that the judge seemed sympathetic to these arguments, with Hough emphasizing the need for interim measures to prevent Wright from further spreading his false claims and filing a lawsuit based on his fraudulent claims.
In a nearly full courtroom, with the notable absence of Wright’s team, including Wright himself, who is “traveling,” Hough navigated legal precedents and made a compelling argument for a strong injunction. This included preventing Wright from claiming in a public forum that he is Satoshi Nakamoto and mandating the removal of such claims from the Internet. Judge Mellor indicated he was prepared to give an extraordinary response, hinting at the possibility of severe penalties, including custodial sentences.
Under the Perjury Act of 1911, the maximum sentence in Britain is seven years and a fine.
“If a person lawfully sworn as a witness or as an interpreter in legal proceedings deliberately makes in those proceedings a statement which he knows to be false or which he does not believe to be true, he is guilty of perjury and shall he: on conviction thereof on indictment, may be punished with hard labor for a term not exceeding seven years, or with imprisonment with or without hard labor for a term not exceeding two years, or with a fine, or with both such hard labor as imprisonment and fine. ”
In Britain, perjury is only punishable by law, meaning it must be tried in the Crown Court, which usually involves a jury trial. If Craig Wright were convicted of perjury, he would have to face a new jury trial. This is because perjury is considered a serious crime that undermines the administration of justice, and the legal process requires a thorough examination of evidence and testimony, which is best carried out in a Crown Court setting with a jury.
The proceedings also reportedly related to Wright’s failure to provide an address for legal services, indicating attempts had been made to evade responsibility. Hough called for criminal charges against Wright and his associate Stephan Matthews for false statements, supported by video evidence in which Wright discussed perjury punishment.
What The Finance reported was that Wright’s legal team attempted to argue against the relief requested by COPA, claiming it was unnecessary and unprecedented. However, the judge’s position suggested that Wright’s long campaign of deception warranted a stern judicial response, potentially marking a key point in the ongoing saga surrounding the true identity of Bitcoin’s creator.