The brother of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange hit back at blockchain security firms SlowMist and RescuETH on June 17, telling Cointelegraph that the firms’ April report that AssangeDAO may be “soft-rugging” is “just false.” The two security firms reported that the decentralized autonomous organization had exhibited “suspicious” transactions and that community members feared it was carrying out a “soft rug,” or gradual exit scam.
Assange’s brother, Gabriel Shipton, stated via Telegram that “SlowMist’s article is just false — they have confused AssangeDAO for the Wau Holland Foundation, to start with.” According to Shipton, AssangeDAO no longer holds the 16,593 Ether (ETH) (approximately $53 million) that it raised in 2022, as all of it was spent on a “Clock” non-fungible token (NFT) produced by the artist Pak as a part of the “Censored” collection.
Pak donated the proceeds of the sale to the German charity organization Wau Holland Foundation, and the funds are no longer under the control of AssangeDAO. “The proceeds of the sale were all donated to the Wau Holland Foundation Moral Courage Project: Julian Assange — with the nominated purpose to support the freedom and defense of Julian Assange,” Shipton stated.
In addition, Shipton claimed that the German charity is using the funds for their intended purpose and complying with all local laws:
“The ETH has been with the Wau Holland Foundation, who draw down on it to pay Julian’s many legal bills and campaigning costs. […]The Wau Holland Foundation is governed by German charity law and has a long-standing relationship supporting Julian and WikiLeaks.”
Assange is currently incarcerated in a London jail, having been accused by the United States of espionage for his alleged role in publishing classified documents on WikiLeaks. He is fighting against extradition and has a hearing scheduled for July 9. Supporters, including the organizers of AssangeDAO, argue that his actions were protected free speech and did not constitute…
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