Changpeng Zhao (CZ), the founder and former CEO of Binance, confirmed on the Farohk Radio podcast that he has submitted a pardon request to U.S. President Donald Trump.
This occurred two weeks ago.
In September 2024, CZ was released. The entrepreneur served a four-month sentence on charges of money laundering and other illegal activities. As part of an agreement with the U.S. Department of Justice, he agreed to pay a $50 million fine and step down as the exchange’s CEO.
In March, Bloomberg and WSJ published articles claiming that Zhao was seeking a pardon amid discussions of business deals with the Trump family. CZ denied the journalists’ claims.
“Sorry to disappoint. The WSJ article misrepresented the facts,” Zhao wrote at the time.
However, he admitted that the news articles prompted him and his lawyers to request a pardon.
“If they are writing this article, we might as well officially submit a request,” Zhao commented.
He emphasized that he took this step only after the newspaper publications.
CZ also stated that he is not interested in returning as Binance’s CEO. Before his release from prison, the exchange permanently barred him from management. However, the current CEO of the platform, Richard Teng, noted that Zhao remains its largest shareholder.
Earlier in March, Trump pardoned three BitMEX co-founders—Arthur Hayes, Benjamin Delo, and Samuel Reed.