Rajasthan police's NOC in cryptocurrency CEO's death raises doubts

Rajasthan police's NOC (no-objection certificate) to Jennifer Kathleen Margaret Robertson, wife of Gerald Cotten, the CEO of Canadian cryptocurrency exchange Quadriga CX, on December 10, 2018, raised several doubts on Thursday in the chain of events in Cotten's death reported on December 9 in Jaipur.

"As Cotton's death was reported in Jaipur-based Fortis Escorts Hospital, there was no point of suspicion at that time. The Fortis hospital had sent a letter along with a body; so we gave an NOC. Had the case not been reported by the hospital, we would have opted for a post-mortem," said Laxman Gaur, additional commissioner of police.

He confirmed that the police gave an NOC to his wife to take back his body to Nova Scotia in Canada in December.

However, it is not yet clear as to where he wanted to open an orphanage in Jaipur, said Gaur, adding had his wife been here, we could have asked this and other questions. "Now, it looks very difficult," he said.

Cotten had spent a day in Jaipur at Fortis Escorts Hospital before he died on December 9, 2018.

Speaking to IANS, hospital sources said Cotten's condition seemed to be a case of gastroenteritis initially when he was admitted. Cotton had complained of watery stools, vomiting, cramps abdominal pain. He was also feeling feverish when he came to hospital, sources said.

Later it was confirmed that he was a patient of Crohn's disease. After a thorough diagnosis, it was found that he suffered from septic shock, perforation, peritonitis and intestinal obstruction. Soon after, his organs kept deteriorating and he died on December 9 after suffering from the recurrent episodes of cardiac arrest at 7.26 pm, said Pragya Sharma, spokesperson for Fortis Escorts Hospital while talking to IANS.

The Facebook page of Quadriga CX reported his death more than a month later, on January 14, 2019.

Cotten's sudden death has left $145 million in Bitcoin and other digital assets which are protected by his unretrievable passwords. He had signed his last will and testament on Nov. 27, 2018 in which he left his assets for his wife, Jennifer Robertson, announcing her the executor to his estate.

(Archana Sharma can be contacted at arachana.g@gmail.com)

--IANS

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