Prosecutors seek arrest warrant for Terraform co-founder Shin for 2nd time

Prosecutors on Monday requested an arrest warrant for Daniel Shin, a co-founder of Terraform Labs, for allegedly obtaining illegal profits before its cryptocurrencies collapsed massively last year.

The Seoul Southern District Prosecutors Office previously sought an arrest warrant in November, but the court rejected the request, saying he would not be a flight risk or destroy evidence.

The prosecution filed the warrant again following the arrest of Do Kwon, another co-founder of the blockchain firm, in Montenegro last week. The prosecution is seeking his extradition.

They have been under investigation for alleged fraud since the wipeout of the company’s cryptocurrencies, TerraUSD and Luna, in May.

Shin faces multiple charges of fraud, breach of duty, and violations of acts on capital markets, electronic financial transactions and financial information.

Prosecutors suspect Shin stored Luna, which had been pre-issued without notifying regular investors, and obtained illegal profits worth 140 billion won (US$107.7 million) by selling the tokens at a high point.

Shin is accused of failing to inform investors properly about the risk that the cryptocurrencies would crash.

Prosecutors also suspect customer information and funds of fintech firm Chai Corp., which Shin formerly headed, were used to promote Luna.

Shin has denied all charges, saying he has no connection with Terraform Labs following his departure from the company in March 2020, when he founded Chai.