Amsterdam is a great city in the Netherlands, and it has only become more interesting because if its Bitcoin Embassy. However, it looks like there is trouble brewing in this Bitcoin paradise, now that one of the founders has been suspended from the organization. And if this suspended founder has his way, Amsterdam may very well have two Bitcoin Embassies in the near future.

Marek Skonieczny

The Amsterdam Bitcoin Embassy was founded by several like-minded people, one of which is Marek Skonieczny. Unfortunately for the Bitcoin Embassy, Mr. Skonieczny has been causing quite a lot of havoc over the recent months, as the Amsterdam police even had to remove him from the premises twice earlier this month.

Events spiraled out of control after Mr. Skonieczny was suspended by the Amsterdam Bitcoin Embassy earlier this year. All of his rights and self-appointed positions – as a Founder, you do have certain perks in that regard – have been suspended immediately. However, once the members of the Bitcoin Embassy attempted to give him additional responsibilities – participating and functioning within a democratic framework – fell on deaf ears.

One major point of issue was the fact Bitcoin Embassy Amsterdam members agreed to use a multi-signature Bitcoin wallet to store any funds collected from memberships and otherwise. However, Mr. Skonieczny was never willing to set up this multi-signature Bitcoin wallet, which caused a great deal of stress and frustration.

To make matters even worse, Marek Skonieczny maintained full control over the Bitcoin Embassy and Bitcoin Embassy Amsterdam website, as well as its finances. Needless to say, if you agree to create a democratic entity and then ignore all of the democratically voted outcomes while keeping control of finances, you are not exactly the most trustworthy person.

A full report on his “wrongdoings” can be found here.

Skonieczny Responds

A story would never be complete without hearing both sides of what exactly transpired. According to a statement, Marek Skonieczny made a few weeks ago, “I don’t understand what the problem is,” there is nothing noteworthy to speak of. He continued by adding the following – and you might want to read this a few times :-

“Although it is true that I have not yet created a multisig wallet for the sponsorship funds, this is only because no one has stepped up to the plate to fulfill any sort of official function within the Bitcoin Embassy Amsterdam as I suggested right when we opened in December. Moreover, all of the funds are accounted for, either because I kept the receipts of the expenses I made or because it’s right there on the blockchain.”

While that statement may hold some merit at first glance, it is clear that Mr. Skonieczny keeps up appearances when confronted with the events that occurred earlier this year. But he isn’t planning to sit by and watch how others run “his” Bitcoin Embassy. In fact, he may very well be planning to open up a new Bitcoin Embassy in Amsterdam.

“It wouldn’t make sense just to stop running the Bitcoin Embassy Amsterdam. We have members, we have sponsors, we have funds, and now we even have a new location. And in a way, having several Bitcoin embassies might even make a lot of sense, as it highlights the decentralized nature of Bitcoin itself. Plus, competition is healthy.”

Make of that statement what you will….

Source: Bitcoin Embassy Amsterdam & CoinTelegraph