Earlier today, the court investigating Tornado Cash ruled the decision to continue Alexey Pertsev’s detention for the next three months. They took this decision because they need to continue the investigation further. Ultimately, the next court hearing for the website’s developer will happen on February 20. For your information, Pertsev is being held in custody in the Netherlands.
In opposition to the court’s decision is an advocate of Pertsev, WK Cheng. During today’s court hearing, Cheng presented his defensive argument, highlighting several things. The main points that Cheng made were the fact that Tornado Cash had several use cases. According to him, there are many misconceptions regarding the functionality of Tornado Cash and its crypto platform.
According to Cheng, the court is presenting a biased interpretation of Tornado Cash and Pertsev’s involvement with it. This is because none of the claims that the defensive party is making are being taken into consideration.
“I’m disappointed about the decision from the court. We’ve tried explaining as clearly as possible what the standpoints are from the defense.”
Advocate WK Cheng
The prosecuting party also had something to say regarding its decision. Considering that the case with Pertsev and Tornado Cash is delicate, they are concerned about him running away if released. According to them, the “flight risk” of Pertsev is high, despite the promises made by the defending party. Pertsev’s legal team still states that the measures will include surveillance inside his house as well as regular check-ins with the police. However, these do not seem to satisfy the prosecutors.