Early Bitcoin Investor Roger Ver Sues Spain to Prevent Extradition to the U.S.

Roger Ver, an early bitcoin BTC$67,125.22 investor, filed a lawsuit last month with the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) against Spain to prevent his extradition to the U.S. to face tax evasion charges.

A spokesperson for the ECHR, confirmed receipt of the application and told CoinDesk that the application "is under consideration."

Last year, Ver, who is now a BCH$548.53 advocate, was indicted for allegedly committing tax fraud, according to a press release from the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ). Ver was arrested in Spain and his extradition was sought by the DOJ, the release said.

The DOJ alleged that he was legally required to report to the IRS the $240 million in cash he made from selling bitcoin in November 2017, as he was a U.S. citizen at the time.

Spain’s order “amounts to a clear denial of justice and a breach of the rules governing extradition procedures,” according to a copy of the complaint reviewed by Bloomberg. Spanish authorities should have "refused the surrender of Ver to the United States to avoid illegitimate restrictions on his right to liberty," it said. Bloomberg was the first to report this story.

CoinDesk reached out to Spain's Government for a comment.