Tron Founder Justin Sun Reportedly Lost His Diplomatic Status

Justin Sun, founder of the Tron blockchain, is no longer a diplomat for Grenada.

According to a report from the Grenada Broadcasting Network this week, Sun was stripped of his status as ambassador sometime after elections held in June 2022, when the New National Party, which granted Sun his position, was ousted by the National Democratic Congress.

GBN reported that all ambassadors were recalled sometime in the "early months" of the now nine-month-old administration, though Sun hasn't publicly acknowledged the loss of his position. The report follows weeks of speculation on both social media and in the press that Sun may have lost his credentials.

Sun was appointed as World Trade Organization ambassador by the government of Grenada in 2021.

Since his appointment, Sun has touted his credentials, styling himself "His Excellency" in interviews and on his social-media accounts. Sun tweeted from his diplomatic Twitter account (@HEjustinsun) as recently as October, and, as of press time, he still maintained the "H.E." honorific on his personal Twitter account.

Sun acknowledged the loss of his credentials on Friday, tweeting that his term as the Ambassador of Grenada to the WTO would be ending, "effective 31 March 2023."

Officials with Grenada's foreign affairs office and government information services didn't return requests for comment about Sun's diplomatic status.

Sun was sued for fraud and securities violations by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission last week. Sun, along with three of his companies including the Tron Foundation, was accused of manipulating the market for Tron's native token, TRX, through "extensive wash trading" and for "orchestrating a scheme to pay celebrities to tout TRX … without disclosing their compensation." Eight celebrities, including Lindsay Lohan and Jake Paul, were also charged and have since settled.

Helene Braun contributed reporting to this story.

UPDATE (14:06 UTC): Adds comment from Justin Sun.