Self-proclaimed bitcoin inventor faces UK criminal probe for alleged perjury

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By Sam Tobin

LONDON (Reuters) -An Australian computer scientist who claimed he invented bitcoin faces a criminal investigation in Britain for alleged perjury after he was found to have repeatedly lied and forged documents to support his false claim.

Craig Wright had long claimed to have been the author of a 2008 white paper, the foundational text of bitcoin, published under the pseudonym “Satoshi Nakamoto”.

The 54-year-old brought litigation based on his claim around the world, including in the United States and in Britain, culminating in a trial at London’s High Court earlier this year.

The Crypto Open Patent Alliance – whose members include Twitter founder Jack Dorsey’s payments firm Block – took Wright to court to stop him suing bitcoin developers.

Judge James Mellor ruled in March that the evidence Wright was not Satoshi was “overwhelming”, saying in a written judgment in May that Wright lied “extensively and repeatedly” and forged documents “on a grand scale” during the case.

The judge said in a further ruling on Tuesday that he was referring Wright to Britain’s Crown Prosecution Service to consider “whether a prosecution should be commenced against Dr Wright for his wholescale perjury and forgery of documents”.

Mellor also said that prosecutors should consider “whether a warrant for his arrest should be issued and/or whether his extradition should be sought from wherever he now is”.

A spokesperson for Wright did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Wright denied forging documents when he gave evidence in February and said in May that he intended to seek permission to appeal.

His current whereabouts are unknown and Mellor said in Tuesday’s ruling: “The evidence shows that Dr Wright has left his previous residence in Wimbledon (in London), appears to have left the UK, has been said to be travelling and was last established to be in the time zone of UTC +7.”

The time zone includes locations in southeast Asia and Russia’s Siberia.

(Reporting by Sam Tobin; Editing by Sachin Ravikumar and Tomasz Janowski)