LONDON – Craig Wright, an Australian computer scientist who has claimed to be the inventor of bitcoin, is under criminal investigation in Britain for alleged perjury. This follows revelations that he falsified documents and provided false testimony to support his assertion.
Wright, 54, had asserted for years that he authored the 2008 bitcoin white paper under the pseudonym “Satoshi Nakamoto,” the foundational document of the cryptocurrency. His claims led to legal disputes internationally, including in the United States and Britain, culminating in a trial at London’s High Court earlier this year.
In a significant ruling in March, Judge James Mellor concluded that Wright’s claim to be Satoshi Nakamoto was “overwhelmingly” disproven. Mellor’s written judgment in May detailed extensive and repeated lies by Wright and the forging of documents on a significant scale during legal proceedings.
On Tuesday, Judge Mellor announced his decision to refer Wright’s case to Britain’s Crown Prosecution Service. The referral aims to assess whether Wright should face prosecution for perjury and document forgery. Mellor also suggested considering the issuance of an arrest warrant or seeking extradition, given Wright’s apparent departure from the UK and his undisclosed current location.
A spokesperson for Wright did not respond immediately to requests for comment. Wright had previously denied fabricating documents during his testimony in February and expressed intentions to seek permission to appeal following Mellor’s judgment in May.
The exact whereabouts of Craig Wright remain unknown. Judge Mellor’s statement indicated that Wright had vacated his previous residence in Wimbledon, London, and was last known to be in the UTC +7 time zone, with reports suggesting he was traveling.
