Justin Sun’s Forbes article prompts geography lesson from Liberland
A Forbes article on Justin Sun, the founder of Tron and prime minister of pro-blockchain micronation Liberland, prompted a correction from the small self-proclaimed country after it claimed that it’s in Croatia.
Liberland’s X account described Forbes’ geographical snafu as a “small error,” before clarifying, “The territory of Liberland is not located in or claimed by Croatia.”
The magazine also reports that Sun is still identifying as “His Excellency,” a title that came with his Granada ambassadorship role. This is despite the fact that he lost his Grenadian ambassadorship back in 2022.
Read more: Former Grenada ambassador Justin Sun is entering a world of pain
Liberland is located on a 7km² strip of land between Serbia and Croatia that has long been the subject of a fierce territorial dispute between the two nations.
In 2015, Croatia said that both Serbia and Croatia were still negotiating over the land, and that it was not “terra nullius” (nobody’s land) as Liberland claims. Croatia still uses its border force to disrupt the settlement, which voted Sun as its prime minister last year.
No other country recognizes Liberland’s claim to be a country.
Forbes calls Justin Sun a “pure opportunist”
Forbes’ article is a biographical one, covering Sun’s history, his crypto enterprises, interactions with the Trump administration, and his wealth. It describes him as a “pure opportunist,” a “copycat,” and someone who “loves a publicity stunt.”
Former Binance CEO Changpeng Zhao said, “Is it just me, or does it come across like a hit piece? 😂”
Forbes also claims it had to apply sizable discounts to Sun’s claimed assets as many couldn’t be verified. “As with Trump, it’s hard to take anything Sun tells you at face value, at least when it comes to his holdings,” it said.
It concluded that Sun’s net worth is at least $8.5 billion, possibly larger.
Read more: Coinbase takes aim at Justin Sun in WBTC lawsuit response
Sun refused to comment on allegations of wash trading from the Securities and Exchange Commission, or on Coinbase’s delisting of wrapped bitcoin that is likely controlled by Sun.
It’s become a meme that once you’re featured on the cover of Forbes magazine, there’s a good chance you’ll end up in prison.
Indeed, the likes of FTX’s Sam Bankman-Fried, Zhao, and healthcare fraudster Elizabeth Holmes have all been featured on a Forbes cover and have all been imprisoned.
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