Cryptocurrency
Do Kwon Wins Second Appeal, Extradition Decision Overturned Again
Terraform Labs co-founder Do Kwon has won a second appeal against the Montenegro High Court’s decision to uphold extradition requests from both the U.S. and South Korea.
The case will now head to the first-instance court for reconsideration based on the new ruling.
Court of Appeals Overturns Extradition Decision
Initially, Kwon had won an appeal in December, overturning the High Court’s decision in favor of the extradition requests. However, the same court reversed its decision at the end of December, reaffirming the validity of the extradition requests. Do Kwon then re-appealed the decision last month.
In January, the lawyer representing Kwon announced plans to appeal the High Court’s decision. Goran Rodic stated in an interview that local courts were under political pressure to facilitate the extradition process.
Kwon’s recent appeal was granted by the appellate court due to many violations of criminal procedure provisions. The court concurred with his legal team’s argument that the decision’s wording was unclear.
The trial court failed to adequately address the extradition requests from South Korea and the United States. At the same time, the High Court did not correctly apply the legal provisions of the extradition procedure.
The appellate court also clarified that according to Article 29 of the Law on International Legal Assistance in Criminal Matters, the decision on extradition should be made by the Minister of Justice, not the regular procedure.
Former Terra CFO Extradited
The Montenegrin police recently announced the extradition of Han Chang-joon, Terraform Labs’ former financial officer, to South Korea.
Han, along with Kwon, was apprehended at Podgorica airport in March 2023 while attempting to flee on a private jet, marking the conclusion of a six-month international manhunt.
The decision to extradite Han was made by the country’s Ministry of Justice, as stated in an official statement from the Montenegrin police. Han is now facing criminal proceedings for multiple offenses related to fraud in financial investment services, investments, and the capital market, offenses that carry a potential life imprisonment sentence in South Korea.
The collapse of Terra’s peg from the dollar in May 2022 resulted in its downfall and subsequent industry ramifications. Kwon was first detained in Montenegro in March on charges of using a counterfeit passport in an attempt to exit the country.
However, he was released from custody awaiting trial after posting a $436,000 bail in May. Later, in June, a Montenegro court convicted him of document forgery and sentenced him to four months in prison.
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Cryptocurrency
Crypto Markets Shed $250 Billion as BTC Plunged to 11-Day Low (Market Watch)
The calm weekend was followed by a Monday massacre for bitcoin as the asset plunged by seven grand within an hour or so.
Expectedly, the altcoins have it even worse, with massive price drops from the likes of DOGE, ADA, XRP, SOL, and many others.
BTC Dumps by $7K
Last Monday began somewhat similarly to this one, as BTC dumped hard to just under $100,000. However, it quickly bounced off and even skyrocketed to a new all-time high of over $109,000. More volatility ensued during the day, especially during and after Donald Trump’s inauguration.
His failure to mention crypto during his speech resulted in another correction but BTC remained north of $100,000. It jumped to $107,000 later on in the week but lost some ground during the weekend, which it spent at around $105,000.
Once the Monday Asian trading session kicked in, bitcoin’s price headed straight south. In a matter of a few hours, it dumped by over seven grand and briefly slipped below $98,000, leaving millions of liquidations.
Despite bouncing off to $99,000 now, BTC is still 5% down on the day. Its market capitalization has plunged to $1.960 trillion on CG, but its dominance over the alts has gone to over 56%, as most have suffered a lot more.
Alts Bleed Out
As mentioned above, the alternative coins have gone into deep red territory. Ethereum leads the adverse trend with a 7% drop that has pushed it below $3,100. XRP lost the $3 mark and has plummeted to $2.8. Solana, Dogecoin, Cardano, Chainlink, Avalanche, Stellar, and SUI are all down by double digits.
Even more painful declines of up to 20% come from VIRTUAL, XCN, SOS, RAY, PEPE, OP, BONK, and many others.
The cumulative market capitalization of all crypto assets has seen over $250 billion gone since yesterday. The metric has plunged to a multi-week low of $3.5 trillion on CG.
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Cryptocurrency
Why is Ripple (XRP) Price Down Today
XRP failed to hold above $3 and the price action is now turning bearish.
Key Support levels: $2.6, $2, $1.6
Key Resistance levels: $3, $3.3
1. First Major Sign of Weakens for XRP
It was critical for XRP to hold above $3 if there was hope of higher highs. This level was lost today and the price fell to $2.7. This drop has also turned the level at $3 into a key resistance.
The cryptocurrency fell by 11% today which shows sellers are returning. While this is a market-wide correction, the timing was quite unfortunate for XRP as this is turning the chart bearish.
2. Falling Volume Hinted at Correction
The first giveaway that a correction could be coming for XRP was seen on the volume profile. While the price made a higher high above $3, the volume did not do the same. This was an early sign that a bearish divergence was forming which called for caution.
3. Bearish Divergence Detected
The bearish divergence was quite obvious on the volume profile, as seen below. However, the same situation can also be seen on the MACD and RSI momentum indicators. This only strengthens the argument that XRP could have made a local top at $3.4 and a correction may follow now.
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Cryptocurrency
Why is the Cardano (ADA) Price Down Today
ADA crashed by 10% today as bears return.
Key Support levels: $0.90, $0.73
Key Resistance levels: $1, $1.3
1. Price Struggles at Key Support
Cardano is about to decide where it goes next. If the key support at 90 cents does not hold, then it will turn into a resistance and see the price fall lower towards 73 cents next. At that point, ADA will make a lower low which could indicate a prolonged correction has begun.
2. Momentum is Reversing
The volume is making lower highs, the price is making lower highs, and so does the RSI and MACD histogram. These are all bearish signals. It would be surprising to see the key support hold considering the above. However, until the 90 cents level breaks, it is too early to call it.
3. Impending Bearish Cross on Weekly Timeframe
A big warning sign is given by the weekly MACD which shows that a bearish cross is imminent. If so, that could be the start of a long correction that can see the price fall towards 73 cents or lower. This scenario is likely if the overall market enters a deep correction.
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