CZ, the founder of Binance, offered to use equity as security, but the judge refused to allow him to fly to the UAE.

 A federal judge last month denied a request by Binance founder  CZ to travel to his home in the United Arab Emirates for `hospitalization and surgery` on a person in his life, even though he Binance offered to post equity as security. for his return to the United States, a new court filing shows. 

The equity was valued at $4.5 billion, based on Binance's last fundraising round two years ago, Zhao's lawyers noted in their Dec. 22 letter to Judge Richard Jones, according to Wednesday's filing. 

CZ pleaded guilty in November in federal court in Seattle to failing to maintain an anti-money laundering program at the world's largest cryptocurrency exchange company. Binance agreed to pay $4.3 billion in fines in the case. 

CZ, who resigned as CEO over his plea, is scheduled to be sentenced on February 23, but remains free in the US on a $175 million release bond. 

In a letter last month, his lawyers asked Judge Jones to allow him to travel to Abu Dhabi on Jan. 4 to spend one to four weeks in hospital, to undergo surgery and to recuperate afterwards. Can be present. whose name is written in the copy of the letter filed on Wednesday. 

Details of the medical procedure were also blacked out in the letter, which said federal prosecutors had not consented to Zhao's request. 

Jones held a closed hearing on the request on Dec. 29, and rejected Zhao's travel offer, court records show. 

Jones rejected another request in early December to allow Zhao to travel to the United Arab Emirates. The judge said Zhao's "enormous wealth" made him a significant flight risk. 

The defendant has enormous wealth and property abroad and has no ties to the United States. He has family living in the UAE and appears to have relished his position in the UAE. Jones wrote in a six-page order dated Dec. 7. Amid circumstances, the court finds that the defendant has not established by clear and convincing evidence that he is unlikely to abscond if he returns to the UAE.