UK High Court rules that claims related to over 61,000 Bitcoin in the Qian Zhimin case are subject to Chinese law, with the funds involved totaling approximately £4.1 billion.

A judgment released by the UK National Archives shows that the UK High Court ruled on the "Blue Sky Grid Rui Case" on October 12, holding that property rights claims filed by Chinese investors over the involved Bitcoin should be governed by Chinese law rather than UK law. The case involves over 61,000 Bitcoin, a key component of the billions of pounds in criminal proceeds recovered by UK law enforcement. The judgment states that the investment scam in question was carried out in China between 2014 and 2017, with total funds involved amounting to approximately 40.228 billion yuan (around £4.1 billion). The funds were used to purchase assets including Bitcoin, and the involved Bitcoin was later transferred to the UK. UK police seized relevant equipment and some access keys in 2018, and the assets subsequently recovered included over 61,000 Bitcoin. The court ruled that the investors' locations, the place where false statements were made, the location of fund payments, and the original purchase site of the Bitcoin were all primarily in China, so the relevant property rights should be determined in accordance with Chinese law. The court also rejected the investors' arguments seeking to establish rights under UK law and relevant asset tracing rules. It should be noted that this ruling only addresses which country's law applies to the relevant claims, and does not finally determine whether each investor owns the involved Bitcoin, nor does it decide on the final distribution of the assets. Specific rights under Chinese law and relevant evidence will need to be reviewed in subsequent proceedings.