Money Laundering Or Unfair Targeting? Court Rules For Tornado Cash Developer

Alexey Pertsev, a Tornado Cash developer, has been granted temporary release by a court in the Netherlands. He was arrested in Amsterdam on Aug. 10, 2022, over allegations of facilitating money laundering.

Pertsev, who has been denied release in the past due to the risk of him fleeing or tampering with evidence, will be allowed to go home on his birthday, April 26, with an ankle monitor, The Block reported.

He still faces trial for the charges against him.

The U.S. government added Tornado Cash and 44 associated Ethereum ETH/USD and USD Coin USDC/USD wallets to its Specially Designated Nationals list, alleging that the cryptocurrency mixing service failed to impose effective controls against money laundering for malicious cyber actors.

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Pertsev denied the charges against him, and a further investigation hearing will be held on May 24, according to his wife, Ksenia Malik.

Pertsev's arrest sparked protests from Edward Snowden and the local cryptocurrency community, with critics arguing that the U.S. sanctions imposed on Tornado Cash were unfair to privacy and crypto advocates.

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