Estonian court orders crypto trader to pay Ukrainian NGO 30x value of Russian donation
The Office of the Prosecutor General is executing a new penal policy where people caught donating to the Russian armed forces must pay hefty penalties.
In 2022, a cryptocurrency investor in Estonia made three donations to an organization that helps equip Russian soldiers in Ukraine, Eesti Ekspress reports.
Using their Binance account, the suspect donated over 0.0008 bitcoins on three separate occasions.
Since the price of bitcoin fluctuated, the value of the transfers came to €23.30, €15.20 and €16.10, respectively, according to the dates, for a total of €54.60.
This activity quickly came to the attention of the Estonian Internal Security Service (ISS) who were told by the suspect that they never intended to support Russia's war in Ukraine of which they have a negative view. The offense culminated in a plea agreement where the crypto investor agreed to pay a Ukrainian aid organization 30 times the sum previously donated to benefit Russian soldiers, or €1,638.
The recipient of the money was chosen by the Prosecutor's Office through a random selection. Luck favored a Tallinn-based nonprofit organization, the Ukrainian Cultural Center (Ukraina Kultuurikeskus).
The crypto investor was also ordered to do 75 hours of community service.
According to case prosecutor Margaret Beres, the thirtyfold financial donation to Ukrainians and the community service are sufficient to influence the offender. However, if the crypto investor fails to fulfill the obligations undertaken, the Prosecutor's Office will reopen the criminal case.
Eesti Ekspress did not publish any information about the crypto investor's identity.
--
Editor: Marcus Turovski
Source: Eesti Ekspress
