On Feb. 7, 2025 Dutch authorities released Tornado Cash developer Alexey Pertsev from prison because their court system now managed his freedom using electronic surveillance. On social media Pertsev announced his release time at 9am UTC (10am local) from detention.
Since August 2022 Alexey Pertsev has lived in Dutch detention because US officials sanctioned Tornado Cash as a money laundering tool according to OFAC. In May 2024 the court convicted the developer of money laundering offenses and sentenced him to 65 months of imprisonment. After the court decision his defense lawyers started their appeal process right away.
Dear Friends, on Friday 7 February at 10 am I will be free! It is not real freedom, but it is better than prison. Today, a Dutch court suspended my pretrial detention under the condition of electronic monitoring. This will give me a chance to work on my appeal and fight for…
— Alexey Pertsev (@alex_pertsev) February 6, 2025
Tornado Cash Faces Scrutiny
The court’s ruling gives Pertsev the chance to work on his appeal despite considering electronic monitoring as a limited freedom option. I will now use this opportunity to defend my rights through the legal process. He thanked all his backers and supporters for creating this accomplishment.
The judge denied him bail access in many previous hearings. The Dutch courts turned down two of his bail applications during July and November 2024 due to their belief he would flee from justice. Because Pertsev knows cryptocurrency workings and could access hidden funds prosecutors deemed him a flight risk.
Pertsev’s defense team explained developers at trial they should not face blame for how users employ open-source technology. Attorneys said Tornado Cash served as a general privacy tool and had no connection to crime. People in the crypto industry strongly warn that holding software programmers legally responsible poses a serious legal risk.
The Dutch court ruled against Pertsev because Tornado Cash and its developers should have implemented security measures to stop criminal use of their platform. Reports show that Tornado Cash helped North Korea’s Lazarus Group along with criminals to clean illegal money.
Tornado Cash faces legal challenges starting from August 2023 when Roman Storm and Roman Semenov became subjects of U.S. criminal prosecution for conspiracy and money-transferring misdeeds. Federal agencies in the United States state Tornado Cash helped move more than one billion dollars of illegal funds.
Since the authorities released Pertsev under electronic monitoring he stands ready to resume his legal battle. People will closely follow his appeal because the legal result might have major effects on crypto-get software creators.
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