London Bitcoin trial: Self-proclaimed creator ‘lied on an extraordinary scale’
The London Bitcoin trial is coming to an end as a senior barrister told the High Court today that throughout, Craig Wright attempted a “very serious fraud upon the court”.
The closing arguments of a court case to decide if Australian computer scientist Dr Craig Wright is the creator of the first ever cryptocurrency kicked off on Tuesday.
The trial started five weeks ago after the court decided that it needed to establish if Wright is the investor of Bitcoin. He has long claimed to be behind the pseudonym Satoshi Nakamoto, the name used by the person authored the Bitcoin White Paper.
There are two cases involved in the trial, the first is Crypto Open Patent Alliance (COPA), a non-profit set up to keep cryptocurrency technology free from patents, which is suing Wright over his claim that he is the creator.
While the second case is Wright suing 26 blockchain developers as he seeks recognition of alleged copyrights over the Bitcoin white paper and database rights over the entire Bitcoin blockchain.
Crypto Open Patent Alliance’s barrister Hough KC of 4 New Square Chambers was speaking to the court today outlining his closing arguments to the judge.
In his written submissions, he stated that “Wright has been shown to have lied on an extraordinary scale, and it is difficult to think of a precedent for what he has done.”
The barrister wrote “even when the extent of [Wright] dishonesty and forgery was exposed to him in cross examination, he doubled down, forging further documents during the trial, blaming a litany of characters, asserting implausible technical excuses and suggesting a vast and ever growing conspiracy to frame him, all in an effort to evade his own responsibility”.
Hough KC went on the state that Wright used “used his time in the witness box to defame, blame and attack anyone he could identify to defend his position, including even his own expert witnesses and a series of law firms previously engaged by him”.
He stated that it “became comical at times” but added that “Wright’s conduct is no laughing matter”.
He outlined to the judge that Wright “attempted a very serious fraud upon the court.”
He highlighted that COPA will ask after judgment that the papers be referred to the Director of Public Prosecutions for consideration of prosecution for the offences of perjury and perverting the course of justice.
The closing arguments started today and Wright is expected to have his set out on Wednesday and Thursday, with the whole case coming to a conclusion on Friday.