Binance's CZ summoned at Malta address, says he won't need to appear in person
Quick Take
- Binance CEO Changpeng ‘CZ’ Zhao said he won’t have to appear in court in person after he was summoned at an address in Malta.
Binance CEO Changpeng 'CZ' Zhao said he won't have to appear in court in person, at least for now, after being summoned at an address in Malta as part of a new lawsuit filed the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.
"Told I won't have to appear in person," he wrote on Twitter, responding to an article about the summons. "This is just part of the SEC compliant process. Nothing new."
On Monday, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission sued Binance and Zhao over several alleged violations of the country's securities laws. The crypto exchange said on Monday that it planned to "vigorously" defend itself.
While the summons, filed Wednesday in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, may be procedural, it's notable because of where it was delivered — an address for a seaside apartment block in Malta.
Zhao's whereabouts and travels are the subjects of frequent speculation, and the island country has in the past been described as the "spiritual headquarters" of the exchange, even though it's not authorized to operate there.
Binance’s main corporate entity is registered in the Cayman Islands.
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