China's People's Court Newspaper: Virtual currency is protected by law, and the funds and properties involved in the case cannot be uniformly confiscated or returned

ChainCatcher news, the People's Court of Siming District, Xiamen City, Fujian Province published an article in the China Court Newspaper titled "Identification of the Property Attributes of Virtual Currency and Issues Related to the Disposal of Involved Assets." The article analyzes the criminal law attributes of virtual currency, stating that virtual currency has economic attributes and can be classified as property. Current laws and policies do not classify virtual currency as illegal items; therefore, under the existing legal and policy framework, virtual currency held by relevant entities in China still constitutes legal property and is protected by law.

The article suggests handling the involved funds and assets from a basic position of legality. For criminal acts involving virtual currency, the involved funds and assets should not be uniformly confiscated or returned. They should be treated differently based on a unified criminal and civil legal order, achieving a balanced protection of individual property rights and social public interests.