Do Kwons extradition mired in controversy after Montenegros ex-Justice Minister alleges corruption
Montenegros former Justice Minister Andrej Milovi has raised serious concerns about the potential link between the extradition of Terraform Labs co-founder Do Kwon and Montenegros airport concession deal with South Korea, local news outlet Vijesti reported on Sept. 24.
Milovi alleged that Prime Minister Milojko Spaji shifted his stance on a 30-year concession for Montenegros airports, using Kwons extradition as leverage to secure the agreement with South Korea.
Do Kwon, arrested in Montenegro in March 2023 while attempting to travel with falsified documents, is wanted for his role in the collapse of TerraLuna, which caused global financial losses of roughly $40 billion. Both South Korea and the US have requested his extradition.
Political connections
Milovi, who is also a candidate in the upcoming local elections in Podgorica to become the citys mayor, voiced his concerns in a recent media statement.
He claimed that Spaji initially favored granting the concession to France but changed his position after the Court of Appeals ruled that Kwon should be extradited to South Korea.
Milovi said:
Spaji was notably pleased when the court ruled in favor of Kwons extradition. Shortly after, he began speaking positively about the South Korean offer for the Airports of Montenegro, despite previously favoring the French bid.
He further alleged that Spaji has personal ties to the case, referencing reports that Spaji invested $75,000 in Terra/Luna tokens, directly linking him to Kwons collapsed crypto project.
Montenegros President Jakov Milatovi and former Prime Minister Dritan Abazovi have also accused Spaji of hiding his connections to Kwon despite multiple documented meetings between the two.
Milovi warned that extraditing Kwon to South Korea would prevent a full investigation into the matter and called for the US to pressure Spaji into cooperating with broader inquiries. He added:
By extraditing Kwon to South Korea, we risk losing crucial information about the case and the involvement of key Montenegrin leaders.
Kwons legal saga
Kwons extradition has sparked a geopolitical debate, with both South Korea and the US seeking to bring him to trial. Since his arrest, courts in Montenegro have been deliberating over which country to extradite him to, with the process spanning several months due to complications.
Multiple decisions made by courts and the government to extradite him to the US and South Korea were later overturned by higher courts or the appellate court.
He was most recently set to be extradited to South Korea after a ruling by the Court of Appeals in early August, but the Supreme Court issued an order to postpone the process a few days later to determine if the ruling was illegal.
The final decision on Kwons extradition now rests with Justice Minister Bojan Boovi. The outcome is expected to have significant political and economic consequences for Montenegro, particularly regarding its strategic infrastructure and relations with international partners.
The post Do Kwons extradition mired in controversy after Montenegros ex-Justice Minister alleges corruption appeared first on CryptoSlate.
Text source: CryptoSlate
