Russian prosecutors have requested from France materials of a criminal case concerning the cryptocurrency exchange Bitzlato to study the possibility of opening an additional investigation on Russian territory. This was stated by the company’s co-founder Anton Shkurenko in an exclusive ForkLog comment on the matter of his detention, which had been reported by the media.
According to him, on February 7 in Moscow, police approached him to verify his documents.
They determined that I was wanted by Interpol, took me to a police station, drew up a detention protocol. They gave me the notices that had been issued against me by Interpol,
said Shkurenko.
He noted that law enforcement acted competently and gave him the opportunity to speak with lawyers.
Three hours later, Shkurenko was taken to the Tverskoy inter-district prosecutor’s office.
There they took my explanations about why I was detained, whether I understand anything in the French articles with which I am charged, whether I can link this to my activities. Based on my explanation, the prosecutor issued a release order and I was released, said the Bitzlato co-founder.
According to the French prosecutor’s office, Shkurenko is suspected on 19 counts. He did not specify their numbers.
What this means for Russian justice, I do not yet understand. Russia does not extradite its citizens, so the prosecutor requested the case materials to assess the possibility of opening a case on Russian territory, said he.
Shkurenko signed a declaration of appearance at the prosecutor’s office upon first request. He stressed that he denies all charges and does not understand why arrested people, who were Bitzlato contractors, are arrested.
The Prosecutor’s Office of the French Republic simply halts the work of services that do not have the financial means to hire lawyers and derail the case, said he added.
The co-founder did not provide further information about the detained colleagues. The company’s lawyers are handling these questions.
First and foremost, we must not harm the people who are under arrest. The company is deeply concerned for the innocent people arrested on trumped-up charges solely because they hold a Russian or Ukrainian passport, said Shkurenko.
Last week he announced the upcoming relaunch of the platform. The potential risk of opening a new criminal case, he said, should not derail these plans.
As soon as I became a public figure and refused to engage in any technical questions, the company can operate fully without my presence. Regardless of what happens to me, the company’s ideals and mission will be fulfilled, simply by other technical specialists, said Anton Shkurenko.
As reported, on January 17, the U.S. Department of Justice arrested the founder of Bitzlato Anatoly Legkodymov on charges of money laundering of $700 million related to Hydra.
On January 18, the platform team stated a hack and withdrawal of part of the funds. A few hours later they announced the service was suspended.
Subsequently it became known of the arrest of former chief executive Mikhail Lunyev, marketing manager Alexander Goncharenko, the contractor for Monolithos DAO Pavel Lerner and the platform’s system administrator.
According to Europol, in total Bitzlato converted assets linked to criminal activity worth around €1 billion ($1.08 billion). Transactions were conducted in Bitcoin, Dash, Litecoin, as well as dollars and Russian rubles.