Sofia Metropolis Prosecutor’s Workplace has concluded a high-profile investigation into the actions of 4 people linked to the Nexo on-line platform.
The investigation, initiated on September 29, 2022, targeted on allegations of participation in an organized prison group and unauthorized banking actions by means of Nexo. 4 people have been accused of working an organized prison group from 2018 to January 2023 beneath Artwork. 321 of the Legal Code.
Moreover, two of the people confronted prices for conducting unlicensed banking transactions from June 2018 to January 2023, which concerned lending and deposit elevating in varied currencies on the Nexo platform with out applicable authorization beneath the Legislation on Credit score Establishments (CLI).
The investigation entailed in depth procedural and investigative actions, together with witness interviews with a secret identification, technical and banking experience, and evaluation of cost account actions. Worldwide cooperation was additionally evident, with European Investigation Orders and their subsequent responses taking part in a vital position.
The technicality protection
Regardless of an elaborate investigation and worldwide scrutiny, together with administrative actions in opposition to Nexo in varied US states, the supervising prosecutors concluded that the proof didn’t substantiate the fees. No proof of a prison affiliation, banking exercise with out a allow, cash laundering, tax crimes, or laptop fraud was discovered in opposition to the defendants.
A key side of the investigation’s conclusion was the authorized standing of digital currencies in Bulgaria and the EU. As per the European Banking Authority’s report and the present authorized framework, crypto-assets are usually not acknowledged as authorized technique of cost or regulated monetary devices in Bulgaria and the EU. This lack of regulation was pivotal in figuring out that Nexo’s actions, which have been primarily carried out on-line and sure managed exterior Bulgaria, didn’t represent monetary crimes.
The settlement between Nexo and varied US regulatory authorities additional substantiated the absence of fraud or deceptive practices in Nexo’s operations. This complete evaluation led to the termination of prison proceedings, with the supervising prosecutors concluding that no crime had been dedicated beneath the present authorized regime for crypto property and monetary companies.