South Korea's Haru Invest CEO attacked in court faces 10 years in prison

Odaily Planet Daily News - The Southern District Prosecutor's Office in Seoul today requested the court to sentence Jiang, a 51-year-old man who attacked Hugo Hyungsoo Lee, CEO of the Korean crypto CeFi platform Haru Invest, to 10 years in prison. The case has attracted widespread attention due to the huge crypto fraud and court violence. In August 2024, Jiang stabbed Lee Hyungsoo's neck several times with a fruit knife during the trial of Lee Hyungsoo's fraud case, but did not cause life-threatening danger. The criminal Jiang had previously deposited 100 bitcoins (currently worth about US$8.3 million) in Haru Invest and was unable to withdraw them. South Korean prosecutors accused Haru Invest of defrauding 16,000 investors worldwide with "16% guaranteed returns" from March 2020 to June 2023, involving 1.4 trillion won (about US$962 million). Haru Invest suddenly suspended deposits and withdrawals on June 13, 2023, and declared bankruptcy in November of the same year. The final sentencing of the criminal Jiang was scheduled for April 4. At the same time, the bankruptcy liquidation of Haru Invest is still in progress, and it is still unknown whether investors can recover their losses. (The Block)