Breaking: SushiSwap and its CEO served with subpoena by SEC

• US SEC subpoenaed Sushiswap and its head Jared Gary
• Gary proposed to creation of a legal fund that would be used to defend the DeFi project’s core developers

The United States Securities and Exchanges Commission (SEC) has taken a swing at yet another crypto-entity. This time around the commission has issued a subpoena against SushiSwap – a decentralized exchange. In addition, Jared Gary – the CEO of the DEX – was also served with a subpoena. A subpoena issued by the SEC demands the production of certain documents relating to a case investigated by the commission.

Realistic or not, here’s SUSHI’s market cap in BTC’s terms

Proposal for legal funds from Sushi DAO

The announcement was made earlier today on the Sushiswap’s forum, with Gary stating that they were currently cooperating with the regulatory authority. However, the executive is also proposing the creation of a legal defense fund in order to “cover legal costs of core contributors” who have been active since the ratification of Sushi 2.0. The 2.0 proposal for the restructuring was made in April 2022. The proposal also said,

“As proposed in March ’22, Sushi (Sushi Legal Structure 5) sought to establish a legal entity to reduce liability for contributors and the DAO. Yet, it has become evident funds must be available to handle legal needs for operational continuity and to protect core contributors.”

Notably, Gary’s proposal wants the Sushiswap DAO to dedicate $3 million in USDT stablecoin for the legal expenditure of the core members. The also proposal stated that the DAO will have to prepare an additional $1 million in case the funds have been spent. And, these funds will be stored in a new multi-sig, enabling the team to use it when required.

Moreover, these funds will be sourced from methods. About 50% of the funds will be drawn from Kanpai fees, 35% from grants, and the rest from TWAP market sells of Sushi. The proposal on SushiSwap forum stated,

“We believe this breakdown limits the financial burden while providing needed funds for legal expenses, protecting Sushi DAO’s financial solvency, and addressing the immediate need for representation.”

SEC goes after the DeFi industry after striking BUSD

Notably, the SEC’s action against the crypto-market is no new tale. The regulatory authority has been striking the market with lawsuits and subpoenas for quite a long time. Just recently, the commission took action against stablecoin BUSD issuer – Paxos. The commission labeled the stablecoin as a security, a first in the crypto market, with the issuance of a Wells notice.

The firm is currently in discussion with the commission. But the current investigation and enforcement action by the New York regulator has bode ill news for the stablecoin. Moreover, the Paxos head stated that the firm was willing to defend the stablecoin’s status.