The release of Anton Shkurenko, a creator of the well-known cryptocurrency trading site Bitzlato, following a brief detention and interrogation garnered media attention. Shkurenko was detained by local authorities so that he could be questioned about the company’s financial and economic transactions.
Co-founder of Bitzlato is detained and questioned
According to a media source, a police officer detained Anton Shkurenko to verify his identification. But after a brief questioning by the Interpol agent, he was freed.
Shkurenko reportedly refused to say whose law enforcement agency had arrested him. He also mentioned how getting a no-detention warrant had shielded him from further arrests.
According to sources, Shkurenko was apprehended as part of a bigger probe into the cryptocurrency sector.
After the person was freed, Bitzlato released a statement reiterating its dedication to openness and legality in its business practices.
Discussions and arguments among specialists and analysts in the business have been generated by the arrest and interrogation of the prominent person in the bitcoin sector.
Regardless of these viewpoints, the recent occurrences have served as a warning that the bitcoin business is being closely scrutinized. Companies like Bitzlato will need to uphold a high standard of compliance and transparency to earn and keep the public’s trust as the industry expands and becomes more widely used.
Additional Arrests Near Bitzlato
Bitzlato, a cryptocurrency exchange with Hong Kong certification, has been operational since 2016. However, once founder Anatoly Legkodymov was detained, the company’s operations were suspended in January 2023. He was accused of sending illegal payments by the Department of Justice and FinCEN.
At the same time, four other individuals associated with the Bitzlato organization headquartered in Europe were taken into Europol’s custody. Shkurenko claims that the four individuals stole digital assets worth 18 million euros from 35% of Bitzlato’s users.
When they blocked more than 100 accounts linked to the cryptocurrency exchange Bitzlato, the European authorities also discovered other assets worth roughly 32 million Euros.
In an interview with Satoshkin, a Russian-based YouTube channel for digital assets, Shkurenko reportedly disclosed the identities of the four criminals on January 31. Alexander Goncharenko, the director of marketing, Mikhail Luven, Konstantin, the CEO, and contractor Pavel Lerner were among those detained, he claimed.
Only Konstantin, who presently resides in Cyprus, was released of these four people; the others are still being held.