Tornado Cash developer Alexey Pertsev to stay detained until next year’s hearing

Detained Tornado Cash developer Alexsey Pertsev will spend another three months in custody in the Netherlands, according to a court hearing held on Nov. 22.

Cointelegraph attended a preliminary court hearing at the Palace of Justice in ’s-Hertogenbosch, which outlined the basis of the case against Pertsev after 103 days in custody.

The prosecution outlined a broad overview of its investigation, painting Pertsev as a central figure in Tornado Cash’s operation before Advocate WK Cheng delivered his first defensive argument.

Cheng highlighted several points outlining Tornado Cash’s use cases and misconceptions around its functionality.

“I’m disappointed about the decision from the court. We’ve tried to explain as clearly as possible what the standpoints are from the defense,” Cheng told Cointelegraph after the preliminary hearing.

The advocate confirmed that the first session has been postponed to Feb. 20, 2023, and reiterated his belief that the state had presented a one-sided interpretation of Pertsev’s involvement with Tornado Cash.

“We are going to do some requests, we’re going to some investigations, things that we need to work out to have cleared up. And we’re going to try to prepare for the next court session.”

The prosecution highlighted concerns that Pertsev is a flight risk if he was to be released before the first session despite a raft of promises from his legal team, which would include surveillance in his home and weekly check-ins at the local police station.

This story is developing and will be updated with further background information.