Guren “Bobby” Zhou, recognized as the entrepreneur behind Aqua 1, which bought $100 million value of WLFI tokens, continues to be underneath investigation in a cash laundering case within the UK.
Zhou was detained in 2021 on suspicion of cash laundering however has not been formally charged. UK judicial paperwork point out that he’s related to a case that was initiated final November.
The case entails 5 different people and will stem from enterprise actions that started in 2019. Two of Zhou’s former staff had been charged in September, and one of many concerned events has already pleaded responsible. The trial is predicted to happen in 2028.
Zhou’s enterprise historical past has additionally confronted challenges. Earlier than coming into the cryptocurrency sector, he operated a UK flooring retailer that entered restructuring due to money owed of roughly $5 million associated to his father’s firm.
Subsequently, Zhou based Caduceus, a cryptocurrency undertaking whose tokens almost misplaced all worth in 2024. The initiative has secured round $7.6 million in funding.
The corporate additionally introduced assist for a number of establishments, which later denied involvement. China Retailers Securities UK and the Bin Zayed Group labeled these claims as “unauthorized and basically false.”
After transferring from London to Abu Dhabi in 2024, Zhou started main Web3Port. The corporate introduced a $10 million funding in World Liberty shortly after Donald Trump took workplace as President of the USA in January 2025.
Blockchain information present that wallets related to the related operations acquired $20 million in WLFI in January and one other $80 million in June.
The supply of the funds used for the $100 million purchase has not been publicly disclosed. Some actions associated to this operation have additionally generated revenue linked to entities related to the Trump household.
A spokesperson for World Liberty Monetary, David Wachsman, said that the corporate continues to adjust to relevant rules and maintains a compliance program that “meets or exceeds trade requirements.” He did not disclose whether or not the corporate was conscious of the supply of the funds utilized by Zhou.
The White Home said that Donald Trump has no battle of curiosity with this operation. Zhou didn’t reply to requests for remark.
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