The man who ate the six million dollar banana (and is now accused of fraud)

In a luxurious Hong Kong hotel, Justin Sun kept his promise devoured a banana attached to a wall in front of dozens of journalists and influencers. “It’s really very good,” he commented afterwards. Before doing so, the businessman, in his early 30s, gave a speech in which he described the work of art as “iconic” and compared the concept art and cryptocurrencies.

Sun confessed to having felt “disbelief” during the first ten seconds after winning the auction and in the next ten he decided he would eat the banana. Since its first screening in 2019 in Miami, ‘Comedian’ has generated enormous debate. The owner receives a certificate of authenticity and instructions for replacing the banana when it begins to decompose.

During the press conference, the businessman compared these conceptual works with theNFT art(‘non-fungible token’, a unique digital asset) and the blockchain technology decentralized. “Most of these objects and ideas exist as intellectual property and on the internet, rather than something physical,” he noted.

Shortly after, Sun announced a $30 million investment in World Liberty Financiala cryptocurrency lending and investment platform backed by Donald Trump weeks after the election. According to ‘The Washington Post’, World Liberty Financial, promoted by Trump and his eldest children, is criticized for its potential use as political influence tool. Before Sun’s injection, the company was far from meeting its revenue goals, and its direct ties to the Trump family have raised concerns about potential conflicts of interest.

Sun now faces fraud and market manipulation charges by the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), and its investment raises questions about possible political influences on the Trump administration, which has promised to support cryptocurrencies and turn the US. USA in the “crypto capital of the planet.”