South African Court Releases Former Monero Developer Riccardo Spagni From Custody. A South African district court recently ordered the release of Monroe’s former boss, Ricardo Espany. According to the report, the warrant was issued several days after his arrest by local law enforcement. Before his release, Spagna, aka Fluffy Pony, told the court that he voluntarily returned to South Africa and was not a flight risk.A South African District Court judge recently ordered the release from custody with a warning of former Monro chief developer Ricardo Espany, who was charged with fraud. The judge’s decision to release Espany comes days after he was arrested and detained upon landing at OR Tambo International Airport.
As previously reported by Bitcoin.com News, Spagni was arrested by US law enforcement in Nashville, Tennessee on July 21, 2021. This arrest was made at the initiative of the South African government. Since then, Spagni has been in custody in the United States awaiting extradition proceedings. It is reported that the Spaniard initially resisted attempts to extradite him to South Africa. However, on June 30, US District Judge Alistair E. Newbern later cleared the way for his transfer from the United States to South Africa, where he reportedly arrived on July 11. Meanwhile, a report by Soweto Live said that ahead of the July 15 decision, prosecutors opposed the release of Munroe, a former developer, from custody pending trial.
The affidavit, signed by investigating officer Stephen Pritchard, explains why Spagni, who has not attended court hearings for fear of contracting Covid-19, should not be eligible for bail. “I then searched online and found that [Spagne] attended a bitcoin celebrity conference [including Paris Hilton] in Miami between June 4 and 5, 2021,” says Pritchard. He appeared in the photo, and [he] had no mask. He reportedly said in his affidavit. Responding to the arguments of the prosecutor’s office, Spagni insisted in his testimony that there was no reason not to appear at the scheduled court hearings. Former developer Munro confirmed that he initially resisted deportation and would “voluntarily return to South Africa unless my release is revoked on my notice and the government should revoke it”.
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