Do Kwon Granted Bail Again as Court Rejects Prosecution’s Appeal

Terraform Labs Co-founder Do Kwon Granted Bail Again

Terraform Labs co-founder Do Kwon has been granted bail in Montenegro after an appeals process by prosecutors was dismissed by a Montenegrin court on June 2.

According to an official release from the Basic Court in Podgorica, an appeal against an earlier bail agreement by the State Prosecutor’s Office was cast aside, allowing Kwon and Terraform Labs’ chief financial officer Han Chang-Joon to await further legal proceedings under house arrest in the country.

The court readopted bail terms originally set out in a hearing on May 12, with the pair having to pay 400,000 euros ($436,000) each to be released from custody. Kwon and Chang-Joon are now under strict bail terms and cannot leave the latter’s legal residence in Montenegro.

The pair are set to be closely monitored by local police. If either leaves the residence or violates supervision measures, the bail will be forfeited.

Bail Conditions and Evidence Provided

Kwon and Chang-Joon provided personal and financial information to local authorities, which included evidence of:

• A sales contract
• Property registration for an apartment, parking space, and basement owned by Chang-Joon
• An invoice for a vehicle
• Bank account statements

The bail terms were set to discourage the defendants from attempting to flee the country.

Arrest and Ongoing Legal Issues

Kwon and Chang-Joon were arrested in Montenegro in March 2023 after allegedly using false travel documents when trying to leave the country. The two had their original passports confiscated in South Korea in October 2022.

The court noted that verifying the authenticity of Belgian passports and identity cards held by the pair would require more time and highlighted that the agreed-upon bail amount “is a sufficient guarantee of securing the presence of the defendants.”

Kwon remains a wanted figure in several jurisdictions. South Korean authorities want to extradite the Terraform Labs co-founder for investigations into the infamous collapse of the Terra ecosystem, which wiped out an estimated $40 billion from the cryptocurrency market in June 2022.

Interpol also issued a Red Notice for Kwon in relation to the charges in South Korea, while he also faces a raft of fraud charges in the United States.