Exploring Do Kwon's New Home: The Overcrowded Balkans Spuz Prison
At this stage, Do Kwon's condition is quite good, and his mood is stable, but the prison conditions are poor.Written by: Isabel Hunter & Ana Ćurić
Compiled by: PANews
Do Kwon can now breathe fresh air twice a day in his "new home," which is filled with organized criminals awaiting trial—while he lives alone.
Do Kwon's lawyer Goran Rodic revealed that the once-prominent co-founder and CEO of Terraform Labs is now being held in solitary confinement in the pre-trial detention area of a dilapidated prison in Montenegro, and is not housed with other inmates.
Earlier this year, Do Kwon attempted to leave Montenegro on a private jet using a Costa Rican passport, but was unsuccessful as his passport was deemed "maliciously fabricated" by prosecutors at the court in the Montenegrin capital, Podgorica. He was ultimately sentenced to four months in prison on June 19 for using a forged passport. Therefore, for the foreseeable future, the Spuz prison in the small Balkan country of Montenegro will be Do Kwon's "new home."
Inside Spuz Prison
In 2022, Do Kwon was undoubtedly one of the most well-known figures in the cryptocurrency industry, with the Terra blockchain ecosystem he created reaching a market cap of $60 billion. But now, Do Kwon is living a different life. Every day, prison guards give him two opportunities to step out of his cell and stretch his legs in the yard of Spuz prison, located several kilometers northwest of Podgorica, which is overcrowded.
After being sentenced by prosecutors for using a fake passport, Do Kwon can only accept a four-month prison term. His accomplice Han Chang-Joon was also arrested while attempting to leave Montenegro and similarly has no chance of release. In May 2022, Do Kwon faced fraud charges from prosecutors in South Korea and the United States due to the collapse of Terra, and a warrant was issued for his arrest. However, because Do Kwon had hidden Bitcoin in a Swiss bank, he had enough funds to escape and had been hiding in Serbia and Montenegro for the past six months, successfully evading an Interpol red notice.
In fact, if Montenegrin judicial officials extradite Do Kwon and his accomplices, they would face at least six months of imprisonment. Do Kwon's lawyer revealed that he is currently in good spirits and emotionally stable, but the prison conditions are poor, and incarceration is not easy for anyone, contrary to what is portrayed in movies.
Above: The entrance to Spuz prison in Montenegro
Spuz prison is the largest prison in Montenegro, located in the Belopavlići valley between Podgorica and Danilovgrad. There have been reports of prison guards beating inmates in the past. In February of this year, hundreds of inmates at Spuz prison went on a hunger strike for eight consecutive days, demanding better conditions, protesting overcrowded cells, poor food quality, and inadequate medical care.
Do Kwon's Privileges in Spuz Prison
According to Aleksandra Dubak, a legal advisor for the NGO Civic Alliance, which oversees Montenegrin prisons, Spuz prison houses some of the most notorious members of mafia families in the Balkans, as well as a group of gang associates accused of murder, bomb planting, extortion, and operating international drug trafficking. Local media reports indicate that gang violence in Spuz prison is severe, prompting authorities to enhance surveillance to ensure that gang members do not interact.
Aleksandra Dubak further stated that Spuz prison officials place members of rival gangs in different areas of the prison to minimize contact and prevent violence. However, this has led to issues of uneven space allocation and overcrowding; at the beginning of the year, a pre-trial detention facility designed for 292 people was holding 380 inmates.
However, unlike most other inmates, Do Kwon has a single cell.
Aleksandra Dubak explained, "Spuz prison has had issues with overcrowding for years, but if an inmate can have a single cell, there must be special reasons, perhaps due to health issues, or there is a serious risk of violence or other special requirements."
Do Kwon's lawyer Goran Rodic does not seem concerned about his life in prison and stated that it is too early to discuss appealing the forgery conviction; the current focus is on preparing for the extradition case review. Meanwhile, Goran Rodic revealed that as of Tuesday (June 20), Do Kwon had still not received extradition documents.
Do Kwon's Extradition Request May Trigger Political Turmoil in Montenegro?
In fact, as early as March 29, Montenegrin Justice Minister Marko Kovac revealed at a press conference regarding Do Kwon's extradition that local judges would consider all factors, including the severity of the criminal offense, the location of the crime, the order of the extradition request, and the individual's citizenship and other circumstances.
However, a spokesperson for the Montenegrin High Court confirmed that Do Kwon would continue to be detained while the country considers South Korea's extradition request. Notably, Do Kwon and his accomplices initially offered to post bail of up to "six figures" and received permission from a judge, but that decision was overturned after the prosecution appealed.
Additionally, local media reported that Do Kwon has close ties with a Montenegrin political party called "Europe Now," founded by cryptocurrency-friendly politician Milojko "Mickey" Spajić. The Montenegrin government claims that Do Kwon is connected to Milojko "Mickey" Spajić, and Do Kwon even wrote a letter to the outgoing Montenegrin Prime Minister Dritan Abazovic, revealing that he and Milojko "Mickey" Spajić are business partners.
It is reported that opponents of "Europe Now" have called for the Montenegrin Special State Prosecutor's Office to investigate the letter Do Kwon sent to Prime Minister Dritan Abazovic, but the "Europe Now" party seems to dismiss these actions, claiming that some are using Do Kwon's relationship with Milojko "Mickey" Spajić for political attacks.
Moreover, in the latest Montenegrin parliamentary elections, the "Europe Now" party won a quarter of the seats and has begun seeking cooperation with other parties to form a coalition government, which means that Milojko "Mickey" Spajić, as the leader of "Europe Now," is likely to hold the highest position in the next Montenegrin government—the Prime Minister.
Given the complex background of this case, the Montenegrin Special State Prosecutor's Office has decided to initiate an inquiry into the relationship between Do Kwon and Milojko "Mickey" Spajić, with the next hearing scheduled for Friday local time.
