Recently, the nonfungible tokens (NFT) financialization protocol ParaSpace has been entangled in a dramatic internal conflict, with allegations flying from both sides. On one end, the protocol developers accuse CEO and CTO Yubo Ruan of mismanaging funds totaling 2,909 Ether (ETH) recovered by a white-hat interception on March 18. This has led them to demand Ruan step down from his roles. On the other hand, Ruan asserts that there has been an “illegal takeover” of the company by two former consultants, claiming they have misrepresented the situation.
The conflict revolves around the aftermath of a price-slippage exploit in March. BlockSec, a blockchain security firm, intercepted the attack and moved 2,909 ETH away from malicious individuals’ reach. The funds were then returned to ParaSpace’s team. Developers allege that Ruan had exclusive control over some of these funds and that not all of the ETH has been returned to the protocol treasury. They claim the missing assets have flowed into unknown wallets, as well as CEXs and Circle redemptions, totaling $1 million.
As a response, the team decided to secure the protocol’s multi-sig and remove addresses not directly controlled by them, all in an effort to remove Ruan’s influence. The official ParaSpace Twitter account has called for Ruan to step down from his roles as CEO and CTO.
However, Ruan tells a different story. He accuses former consultants Thomas Schmidt and Jay Yao, now the protocol’s COO and CBO, respectively, of illegally obtaining control of key protocol multisig and social media accounts. Ruan claims that, upon receiving the rescued funds from BlockSec, a structured redeposit procedure was planned and implemented, involving Schmidt and Yao. According to Ruan, all of the hacker’s debt has been deposited back, and the remaining amount has been paid according to schedule. He vehemently denies any wrongdoing.
With these conflicting narratives, it is difficult to determine the truth in this complex situation. The only certainty is that the main priority for ParaSpace should be to address the issue effectively and maintain the stability of the platform. Ruan also cautions readers to be wary of the legal ramifications behind the potential illegality of the takeover actions.
It’s essential for the broader crypto community to monitor this ongoing conflict and learn from the possible pitfalls that can arise from internal strife and mismanagement within crypto projects. Accountability, transparency, and mutual understanding between team members are crucial to establishing trust and fostering healthy development in the rapidly changing world of cryptocurrency and blockchain technology.
Source: Cointelegraph
