Craig Wright, an Australian computer scientist who claims to be Satoshi Nakamoto, the mysterious creator of Bitcoin, is under criminal investigation in the UK for alleged perjury.
The investigation follows a judge’s finding that Wright repeatedly lied and forged documents to support his claims.
Wright, 54, has filed lawsuits worldwide, including in the US and UK, asserting his role as Bitcoin’s inventor. His most recent legal battle was in London’s High Court, where the Crypto Open Patent Alliance (COPA) sought to prevent him from suing Bitcoin developers and to maintain Bitcoin’s open-source nature.
In March, Justice James Mellor ruled against Wright, stating that the evidence disproving his claims was “overwhelming.”
A subsequent judgment in May detailed that Wright had lied “extensively” and created “large-scale” forgeries.
On Tuesday, Justice Mellor referred Wright to the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) to decide if he should be prosecuted for perjury and document forgery.
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The judge also requested that the CPS consider issuing a warrant for Wright’s arrest and possibly seeking his extradition. Wright’s current location is unknown, but it is believed he has left his previous residence in Wimbledon, London, and may have left the UK entirely.
Justice Mellor commented, “The evidence shows Dr. Wright has left his previous residence in Wimbledon and appears to have left the UK.”
Wright’s claim to be Satoshi Nakamoto has been a contentious issue. Satoshi Nakamoto is the pseudonym used by the person or group who introduced Bitcoin in a 2008 paper and created it in 2009. Nakamoto was active in Bitcoin’s development until about 2010, but their true identity remains unknown, leading to much speculation.
Nakamoto is credited with solving the “double-spending” problem, which prevented the wider adoption of cryptocurrency.