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Montenegro’s erstwhile Justice Minister Andrej Milović has raised superior concerns astir the imaginable nexus betwixt the extradition of Terraform Labs co-founder Do Kwon and Montenegro’s airdrome concession woody with South Korea, section quality outlet Vijesti reported connected Sept. 24.
Milović alleged that Prime Minister Milojko Spajić shifted his stance connected a 30-year concession for Montenegro’s airports, utilizing Kwon’s extradition arsenic leverage to unafraid the statement with South Korea.
Do Kwon, arrested successful Montenegro successful March 2023 portion attempting to question with falsified documents, is wanted for his relation successful the illness of TerraLuna, which caused planetary fiscal losses of astir $40 billion. Both South Korea and the US person requested his extradition.
Political connections
Milović, who is besides a campaigner successful the upcoming section elections successful Podgorica to go the city’s mayor, voiced his concerns successful a caller media statement.
He claimed that Spajić initially favored granting the concession to France but changed his presumption aft the Court of Appeals ruled that Kwon should beryllium extradited to South Korea.
Milović said:
“Spajić was notably pleased erstwhile the tribunal ruled successful favour of Kwon’s extradition. Shortly after, helium began speaking positively astir the South Korean connection for the Airports of Montenegro, contempt antecedently favoring the French bid.”
He further alleged that Spajić has idiosyncratic ties to the case, referencing reports that Spajić invested $75,000 successful Terra/Luna tokens, straight linking him to Kwon’s collapsed crypto project.
Montenegro’s President Jakov Milatović and erstwhile Prime Minister Dritan Abazović person besides accused Spajić of hiding his connections to Kwon contempt aggregate documented meetings betwixt the two.
Milović warned that extraditing Kwon to South Korea would forestall a afloat probe into the substance and called for the US to unit Spajić into cooperating with broader inquiries. He added:
“By extraditing Kwon to South Korea, we hazard losing important accusation astir the lawsuit and the engagement of cardinal Montenegrin leaders.”
Kwon’s ineligible saga
Kwon’s extradition has sparked a geopolitical debate, with some South Korea and the US seeking to bring him to trial. Since his arrest, courts successful Montenegro person been deliberating implicit which state to extradite him to, with the process spanning respective months owed to complications.
Multiple decisions made by courts and the authorities to extradite him to the US and South Korea were aboriginal overturned by higher courts oregon the appellate court.
He was astir precocious acceptable to beryllium extradited to South Korea aft a ruling by the Court of Appeals successful aboriginal August, but the Supreme Court issued an bid to postpone the process a fewer days aboriginal to find if the ruling was illegal.
The last determination connected Kwon’s extradition present rests with Justice Minister Bojan Božović. The result is expected to person important governmental and economical consequences for Montenegro, peculiarly regarding its strategical infrastructure and relations with planetary partners.
The station Do Kwon’s extradition mired successful contention aft Montenegro’s ex-Justice Minister alleges corruption appeared archetypal connected CryptoSlate.
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