UK Judge Refers Craig Wright for Perjury Over False Satoshi Nakamoto Claim

Craig Wright, Satoshi Nakamoto, Bitcoin founder

Craig Wright, the Australian claiming to be Bitcoin’s creator Satoshi Nakamoto, has been referred to the Crown Prosecution Services (CPS) by British High Court Judge James Mellor for a possible perjury charge, as revealed by new court documents. This referral follows a lawsuit by the Crypto Open Patent Alliance (COPA).

So-Called Satoshi Referred to CPS for Alleged Perjury

On Tuesday, Judge Mellor ordered the referral after determining in May that Wright was not the pseudonymous crypto founder.

“In advancing his false claim to be Satoshi Nakamoto, Dr. Wright committed ‘a most serious abuse’ of the process of the courts of the U.K., Norway, and the U.S.A.,” Mellor stated. “If what happened in this case does not warrant referral, it is difficult to envisage a case that would.”

The prolonged legal battle began in 2021 when COPA, a coalition of crypto organizations, sued Wright over his claim to be Bitcoin’s founder, a claim contradicting the decentralized nature of cryptocurrency.

Describing Wright’s allegations as “brazen and elaborate,” Mellor’s judgment will legally prohibit Wright from asserting authorship of Bitcoin.

“The Court found that Dr Wright ‘lied to the Court extensively and repeatedly’ in his evidence and that he attempted to create a false narrative by forging documents ‘on a grand scale’ and presenting them in evidence,” the disclaimer reads. “Overall, ‘all his lies and forged documents were in support of his biggest lie: his claim to be Satoshi Nakamoto.’”

COPA Calls Craig Wright Ruling a Win for Developers

Mellor’s ruling also mandates Wright to post a disclaimer on his website, informing the public that he is not the mysterious figure behind the Bitcoin White Paper, whose true identity remains unknown.

“This decision is a win for developers, for the entire open-source community, and for the truth,” a COPA spokesperson said following the ruling. “For over eight years, Dr. Wright and his financial backers have lied about his identity as Satoshi Nakamoto and used that lie to bully and intimidate developers in the Bitcoin community. That ends today with the court’s ruling that Craig Wright is not Satoshi Nakamoto.”

Wright has also been ordered to post the mandated disclaimer on his X account, though as of publication, he had not yet complied.