LONDON (Reuters) - A Briton wanted in the United States on money laundering and wire fraud charges linked to the fake cryptocurrency OneCoin won his extradition battle on Thursday, and London's High Court ruled he should face trial in Great Britain.
Christopher Hamilton, 64, was indicted by a New York grand jury in 2019 for his alleged role in a $4 billion Ponzi scheme that defrauded about 3.5 million people worldwide. He has previously denied any wrongdoing.
OneCoin co-founder Karl Greenwood was imprisoned in New York for 20 years for fraud and money laundering in September.
Its other founder, Ruja Ignatova, who prosecutors say is also known as the "Cryptoqueen," is on the FBI's 10 most wanted list and remains at large.
Hamilton's extradition to the United States was approved last year, but his appeal against that decision was upheld on Thursday.
Judge Victoria Sharp said most of Hamilton's alleged money laundering took place in the United Kingdom and that British police and prosecutors should investigate whether Hamilton could face criminal charges in his home country.
The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) had previously said Hamilton should be prosecuted in the United States and not the United Kingdom.
The City of London police had closed its investigation in 2019 but, Sharp said, had not identified "potentially critical incriminating evidence" later discovered by US authorities that could now be used by British police.
"The consequence of the appellant's success in this appeal is not that impunity is ensured. It is that he should be answerable to the law in the United Kingdom and not in the United States," Sharp concluded.
A CPS spokesperson said in a statement: "We are carefully considering the High Court ruling."
Hamilton's lawyers at Sonn Macmillan Walker declined to comment. City of London Police did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Reporting by Sam Tobin Editing by Bill Berkrot
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