Montenegro’s Supreme Court Overturns Do Kwon’s Extradition

Montenegro’s Supreme Court overturned the lower courts’ decision to extradite Terraform Labs (TFL) co-founder Do Kwon.

In early March, the High Court of Podgorica approved the extradition of the entrepreneur to South Korean authorities. However, the prosecution objected, citing procedural violations.

“In this specific case, the first-instance court could not make a decision in an expedited manner, and in particular could not decide on extradition, […] which is decided by the Minister of Justice,” the document states.

Thus, the Supreme Court emphasized that the decision on the permission and order of extradition in this case is made by the Minister of Justice. The case will return to the High Court of Podgorica for further consideration.

On March 23, 2023, Montenegrin police arrested Kwon and former TFL CFO Han Chang-Joon as they attempted to fly from Podgorica airport to Dubai using fake passports. The latter was extradited to Korea in early February 2024.

In his home country, Kwon faces numerous charges, including violations of capital markets law. In the United States, he is involved in a fraud case led by the SEC and the Federal Prosecutor’s Office of New York.

In March, it was reported that the TFL co-founder would be released from prison after serving his sentence for attempting to cross the border with forged documents.