Despite the fact that the law enforcement authorities of Ukraine have eased the pressure on representatives of cryptocurrency businesses, the imposition of martial law in several regions of the country may initiate a new wave of searches on suspicion of crypto companies, still outside the legal field, in financing terrorism. This was told by the lawyer, the project manager of the Business Security Practice of the Juscutum Law Firm Alexander Gorobets.
According to him, a surge of interest in cryptocurrency in 2017 led to a huge number of searches for all who were interested in this market.
“If from the middle of 2018 IT companies began to turn to us less often for legal protection, then at the end of the year we again notice the growth of such appeals. This, in particular, is evidenced by several searches conducted in companies operating in the fields of cryptobusiness, ”Gorobets noted.
And yet, objectively, the overall degree of tension has decreased due to the fall in Bitcoin, according to the lawyer. Miners either suspended their activities or continue to maintain the equipment. Cryptobirds continue their work, however, ascertain a decrease in customer growth.
"In our opinion, the attention of law enforcement to the companies in the field of cryptobusiness has also decreased due to the decline in the overall profitability of this business," Alexander Gorobets stated.
In 2018, “guests” began to come more often to software developers and technical support specialists for websites and databases. The active development of payment systems puts banks and financial companies at risk.
According to Juscutum, in 2017 and 2018, during the investigation of economic crimes in Ukraine, 120 thousand searches were conducted (compared to 67 thousand in 2014).
“On average, for each of the 24 regional departments of the National Police, not counting Kiev, there are 15 searches per month. This is 4320 for the year. In Kiev – 2376 per year, ” lawyers said.
As the lawyer, managing partner of the Juscutum Law Firm Artem Afyan, notes, during the period of imposition of martial law the reluctance of counterparties to fulfill their obligations may become the biggest problem for business, referring to force majeure.
“Foreign investors will now take a wait-and-see position at least until the expiration of martial law, and one should not expect more investments in December, as well as in the first quarter of 2019. However, there will not be a sharp fall in investment capital, ”the expert believes.
In addition, Afian warned that military aggression on the part of the Russian Federation could initiate additional actions to limit relations with it: a certain influence on the payment system or additional control over money transfers is possible.
“Banks may be under the influence of martial law. However, no special measures are expected yet, ” he stressed.
Recall, on December 15, 2017, investigators of the Security Service of Ukraine conducted searches in the office of BlockchainJournal magazine and the rented apartment of its founder Anatoly Kaplan.
On December 26, 2017, a blockchain expert and leading analyst of the EXMO cryptocurrency exchange Pavel Lerner was abducted in Kiev. The group of kidnappers consisted of six armed men in dark clothes and masks, who introduced themselves as officers of the security forces. For several days, Lerner was kept in a basement, where he was “subjected to psychological pressure.”
The kidnappers released the expert on December 29, presumably after paying the ransom, the amount of which, according to some data, ranged from 77 BTC ($ 1 million) to 160 BTC ($ 2 million at that time).
Subscribe to the BlockchainJournal channel on YouTube !
BlockchainJournal.news
