UK Foreign Office faced criticism for the arrest of crypto conference organizer –

• The UK Foreign Office is facing a lot of criticism.
• The criticism is because of the failure of the UK Foreign Office in taking the organizer back from Saudi Arabia.

The Foreign Office of the United Kingdom is facing criticism as it failed to take Christopher Emms, cryptocurrency conference organizer from North Korea, back from Saudi Arabia. The organizer has been stuck there since the beginning of this year under the command of US authorities.  

On Wednesday, Crispin Blunt, a member of parliament of the UK, gave an interview to Sky News where he stated that the former foreign officials were way more active in securing the interests of fellow citizens. The statement is a direct comment to Liz Truss, current Foreign Secretary of the UK. 

Truss is also in the race to replace discredited Prime Minister. Blunt is supporting Truss’s challenger but commented, “ at the front of my attention… is my voter Christopher Emms.”

In February 2022, Emms was arrested in the airport of Riyadh, the capital city of Saudi Arabia. He got bailed and spent his last five months on bail in Jeddah. The government of Saudi Arabia is waiting for the papers from US authorities from which they can decide either to arrest or to release.

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Emms was charged for disobeying a US permit

Emms has been charged for disobeying a US permit on North Korea as he worked with Virgil Griffin, a US citizen. The latter provided the information and services of cryptocurrency and blockchain technologies to the country criminally. 

In 2019, both Emms and Griffith arranged Pyongyang Blockchain and Cryptocurrency Conference in North Korea. The audience was invited from all over the world. However, South Koreans, Japanese and Israelis, and visitors were charged over $3000. The charges included a stay in an isolated country with many exciting activities.

Griffith was found guilty and was jailed for 5.25 years with a $100,000 fine. 

Alejandro Car de Benos, head of the Korean Friendship Association, was also specified in the charges. A nobleman from Spain, who directly liked to promote international weapon deals for the state, was working as a mediator for those who wanted to trade within the country.

North Korea continues to be a hub of crypto hacks, and the capital they collect is real. From 2018 till now, the country has looted over $200 million in the industry almost yearly. But, surprisingly, the number went up to $400 million in 2021, a blockchain analytics company Chainalysis says. 

Steve Anderson is an Australian crypto enthusiast. He is a specialist in management and trading for over 5 years. Steve has worked as a crypto trader, he loves learning about decentralisation, understanding the true potential of the blockchain.

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