Julian Assange’s brother has responded to allegations made by blockchain security firms SlowMist and RescuETH on June 17, dismissing their claims that AssangeDAO was involved in any fraudulent activity as “completely untrue.” According to Gabriel Shipton, the two security firms mistook AssangeDAO for the Wau Holland Foundation, leading to a misunderstanding.
Shipton clarified that AssangeDAO had spent all of the 16,593 Ether (ETH) it had raised in 2022 on a non-fungible token (NFT) called “Clock” created by the artist Pak as part of the “Censored” collection. The proceeds from the sale of the NFT were donated to the German charity organization Wau Holland Foundation for the “Moral Courage Project: Julian Assange.”
Furthermore, Shipton assured that the German charity is utilizing the funds for their intended purpose and adhering to all local regulations. Assange, who is currently in a London prison, facing espionage charges in the U.S., is fighting against extradition with a hearing scheduled for July 9. Supporters of Assange argue that his actions were protected under free speech rights and did not constitute criminal behavior.
AssangeDAO purchased the Clock NFT on Feb. 9, 2022, for 16,593 ETH, as confirmed by blockchain data. The funds from the sale were transferred to the Censored: Clock deployer address and are no longer held by the AssangeDAO multisig wallet.
SlowMist, a blockchain security firm specializing in Anti-Money Laundering (AML) compliance and wallet security software, had warned investors about interacting with AssangeDAO in an April report that raised concerns about suspicious transactions. However, Shipton clarified that the transactions in question were not related to AssangeDAO and that the organization had acted in accordance with its stated purpose.
AssangeDAO was established in early 2022 to pool investor funds for the purchase of the Clock NFT. It raised over $53 million, making it the most well-funded DAO in history. The collaboration between Assange and Pak aimed to support Assange’s legal defense through the sale of NFTs from the “Censored” collection.
Despite Shipton’s clarification, some members of AssangeDAO expressed discontent with the team’s decisions. One tokenholder criticized the lack of a proper token-based voting system and claimed that the funds were spent on the NFT without community approval, violating the principles of a decentralized autonomous organization.
While blockchain data may not definitively prove the separation of organizations, it does indicate that the funds raised by AssangeDAO were used for the intended purpose of acquiring the Clock NFT. The Wau Holland Foundation, which controls the Censored: Clock deployer account, is responsible for managing the proceeds from the NFT sale.
In the realm of DAOs, disagreements among members are not uncommon, with instances of internal conflicts and allegations of misconduct surfacing in various organizations. Despite the challenges faced by some DAOs, the concept remains a powerful tool for decentralized decision-making and coordination among investors worldwide.