After a rumored plan for him to waive his extradition to the United States halted, FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried aka SBF was remanded back to a Bahamas jail after a dramatic courtroom scene.
According to reports, Bankman-Fried wasn’t supposed to agree to his extradition but SBF made the decision to agree to be extradited to the US to face accusations just hours after the SBF’s lawyer told a Bahamas judge he wasn’t ready to consent.
Jerone Roberts, Bankman-Bahamian Fried’s defense lawyer, expressed disbelief that Bankman-Fried was present in court and stated he wasn’t aware of the SBF’s plan.
SBF was in court for a brief hour, but no decision or resolution was made. Roberts questioned the objective of the hearing, as there was uncertainty.
According to reports, Bankman-Fried’s attitude change is partially attributed to his hope of being granted bail in the United States. SBF has told his lawyer to proceed with extradition hearings.
Also Read: Sam Bankman-Fried Arrested in Bahamas, Set to be Extradited to US
The court called a halt to the proceedings and escorted the observers out amid the turmoil. Bankman-Fried and Roberts appeared to set up a conference call in the empty courtroom.
Reports referencing Roberts began to surface after the hearing ended “We as counsel will prepare the necessary documents to trigger the court.” In the end, the trial was postponed, and Bankman-Fried was told to go back to jail.
Roberts claimed that SBF had received a document outlining the accusations against him, but he insisted on seeing the complaint that the federal court in New York had brought against him last week.
Just last week, Sam Bankman-Fried was denied the bail he requested by Bahamas Chief Magistrate JoyAnn Ferguson-Pratt. According to Bahamas prosecutors, granting SBF bail would violate a treaty with the U.S. that mandates that suspects be detained while extradition procedures are ongoing.
