Tornado Cash developer Alexey Pertsev's trial in the Netherlands postponed until 2024

Tornado Cash developer Alexey Pertsev's trial postponed until 2024
Tornado Cash developer Alexey Pertsev's trial in the Netherlands postponed until 2024
Alexey Pertsev will stand trial in the Netherlands on money-laundering charges no earlier than next year because the schedule of hearings until the end of this year is already full

At a May 24 hearing in the Dutch city of Den Bosch, a court ruled that Tornado Cash developer Alexei Pertsev will face trial on money-laundering charges no earlier than 2024, DL News reported. The court did not set an exact date but said the hearing schedule for the rest of this year is already full.

Pertsev was arrested in August 2022 in Amsterdam. The U.S. has imposed sanctions against the Tornado Cash service. The developer is accused of money laundering with the cryptomixer, but he denies the charges against him.

Prosecutor Martin Berlage said at a hearing in February that instead of just publishing code, Pertsev and others were running Tornado Cash as a business.

The case is receiving special attention from software developers because the court's decision could set a precedent for the guilt or innocence of developers in cases involving projects they created.

"If this charge is based solely on writing code that other people misuse, it's a really important case because many, very many people write code that other people can use for good or bad purposes," Cindy Cohn, executive director of the digital rights group Electronic Frontiers Foundation, told the publication before the hearing.

But if proof of Pertsev's involvement in money laundering is found, she said, the case would lose its significance because it would become "just another example" of what financial crimes can look like.

Pertsev is a Russian citizen, and his authorized stay in the Netherlands expires in July. The defense and prosecution intend to discuss his future status.

Meanwhile, the Tornado Cash protocol itself was hacked. On May 20, an attacker was able to gain full control of the cryptomixer's control.