Christopher Emms has been in prison in Saudi Arabia since February after being detained at the airport for cryptocurrency in North Korea. Emms is a resident of the UK and now the UK Foreign Office is under fire for having done too little for Emms.
Crypto Conference in North Korea
The Briton organized a crypto conference in North Korea, which goes against sanctions imposed by the United States. He has therefore been detained in Saudi Arabia by order of the US, pending possible extradition.
MP Crispin Blunt told Sky News this week that previous foreign ministers “have done more to defend the interests of British citizens.”
Blunt was previously chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee. In the interview, he says “under international law, it is expected that the requesting state will have provided some evidence for their claim within 45 days.”
“Well, it’s been about 140 days since that deadline passed.”
US goes too far in crypto conference case
Emms is on the list of FBI’s most wanted criminals and was detained at the airport in the Saudi capital Riyadh in February. The Saudi government is waiting for documents from the US authorities on the basis of which they will decide whether to extradite him.
However, the case against Emms is controversial and human rights groups accuse the US of going too far.
The specific sanctions he allegedly violated are not international, but US sanctions. Since the conference was not held on US soil and he is not a US citizen, it is not clear what jurisdiction the US has in this matter.
“If they want him to come to the United States to face the US justice system for violating US law, then they need to explain to the British courts why that is the case,” Blunt said in the interview.
Illegal cryptocurrency and blockchain technology
There is also a link with America. Emms is accused of violating US sanctions against North Korea by collaborating with Virgil Griffith. This is an American citizen.
According to the indictment, Griffith and Emms illegally supplied cryptocurrency and blockchain technology to North Korea. This could circumvent bank embargoes imposed by the communist country’s nuclear weapons program.
Griffith became late 2019 arrested and is currently serving a 63-month sentence and fined $100,000.
Pyongyang Cryptocurrency Conference
The allegations date back to 2019, when the Pyongyang Blockchain and Cryptocurrency Conference took place. It was held in Pyongyang, the capital of North Korea. Everyone was welcome except South Koreans, Japanese and Israelis. A ticket cost more than $3,000, which included an all-inclusive stay in the closed-off country and day trips to a local brewery and shooting ranges.
