檢 sells seized bitcoins for 270 million won for 12.2 billion won and returns to the national treasury

Check-in 2021.04.01 15:07

The prosecution recently sold 12 billion won in bitcoins confiscated from the operator of a porn site called ‘2nd Soranet’ and returned to the treasury. At the time of the seizure in 2017, Bitcoin worth 270 million won soared more than 45 times over the years.

According to law enforcement officials on Day 1, the Suwon District Attorney’s Office sold 191 confiscated bitcoins from Ahn Mo, the operator of the ‘VSNOOP’ porn site captured in 2017, for an average of 4.26 million won each. one through a private exchange, totaling 12.29 billion won Belonged to the treasury.

This is the first time that the cryptocurrency Bitcoin has been confiscated and returned to the national treasury. Previously, the Supreme Court sentenced Ahn’s appeal in May 2018 to a prison term of 1 year and June, and seized 191 bitcoins of the 216 bitcoins seized by the prosecution. In addition, a court judgment sentenced to an additional penalty of 690 million won was confirmed.

The Supreme Court said that “Bitcoin should be viewed as an intangible property with property value.” The ruling at the time was the first forfeiture of cryptocurrencies made from criminal gains, and it was the ruling that occurred just after the bitcoin speculation frenzy hit, drawing public attention.

However, the prosecution has held bitcoins in electronic wallets for more than three years without taking any action against bitcoins, which were confiscated due to the lack of relevant laws. Meanwhile, on the 25th of last month the revised bill of the Law on Reporting and Use of Specific Information on Financial Transactions that Recognizes Virtual Currency as an Asset (Specific Financial Information Law) was implemented, paving the way for it to belong to the National Treasury. .

According to the enforcement date of the law, the prosecution disposed of all the seized bitcoins for 12.29 billion won (average of 6.426 million won per piece). Considering that the value of 191 bitcoins was 270 million won (approximately 1.14 million won each) when the police seized bitcoins from Ahn in April 2017, the value increased more than 45 times as of today. of elimination.

A prosecution official said: “This is the first time he has attributed confiscated bitcoins to government treasury as criminal proceeds.”