Craig Wright, the Australian computer scientist who claims to be the creator of Bitcoin, faced intense scrutiny during his cross-examination in the COPA trial on Friday. Wright denied allegations of forging emails between him and his former lawyers, accusing critics of bugging his home and spoofing an email that he has been accused of doctoring.
The trial, which is investigating Wright’s claims of being Satoshi Nakamoto, the pseudonymous author of Bitcoin’s whitepaper, will resume on March 12 for closing statements. Wright vehemently denied accusations made by the Crypto Open Patent Alliance (COPA) of backdating the email in question to support a statement he had made in court the previous week regarding his former legal representatives at Ontier.
During the cross-examination, presiding Judge James Mellor asked Wright if he could specify who had spoofed the email, to which Wright responded, “Unfortunately not. I suspect a number of people, My Lord.” Wright claimed that the email was doctored by a malicious actor to fabricate an excuse to bring him back to court.
COPA’s expert witness, Patrick Madden, returned to the stand to defend his analysis of the Ontier emails. Wright’s counsel sought to establish that spoofing was an easy thing to do, but Madden stated that he did not think the email could have been spoofed. “I do not think it’s practical to consider that,” Madden said.
The trial on Friday was the last day for discussing evidence, with closing statements scheduled for March 12. The allegations of forgery and email doctoring have cast a shadow over Wright’s claims of being the creator of Bitcoin, and the outcome of the trial will have significant implications for the cryptocurrency industry.
In a statement to the court, Wright accused his critics of trying to bring him down by manipulating evidence and fabricating emails. The ongoing legal battle between Wright and COPA highlights the complexities and controversies surrounding the origins of Bitcoin and the identity of its mysterious creator. The outcome of the trial will be closely watched by the cryptocurrency community and could have far-reaching consequences for Wright and his claims of being Satoshi Nakamoto.