Russian District Court: Bitcoin is not a legal currency or its substitute and is not protected by law

According to BlockBeats, on June 30, a Russian court rejected the plaintiff’s motion to provide compensation to the victim in a criminal case, on the grounds that Bitcoin (BTC), as a virtual currency, does not enjoy the same property protection as other assets.

The case dates back to 2018, when two men posing as FSB agents and their accomplices kidnapped the victim and forced him to pay 5 million rubles (about $90,000) and 99.7 bitcoins (about $900,000 at the time). The kidnappers were eventually sentenced to 8 to 10 years in prison.

As part of the criminal proceedings, the victims requested a court ruling that the kidnapper return the stolen money they had taken from him. The court's ruling ordered the defendant to repay 5 million rubles. However, when it came to cryptocurrencies, the court announced that since virtual currencies are not recognized as legal tender or its substitute under Russian law, the claim for compensation in virtual currencies was not supported by the court.

Original article address: https://cointelegraph.com/news/russian-court-theft-of-100-btc-isnt-a-crime-because-bitcoin-isnt-property