FTX Founder Sam Bankman-Fried’s Trial Faces Potential Delay Between Evidence Review
(Originally posted on : Crypto News – iGaming.org )
Sam Bankman-Fried, the disgraced founder of FTX, is charged with fraud, but his trial may be delayed significantly because, according to his legal team, they haven’t had enough time to evaluate the vast evidence. The trial’s timetable might be considerably impacted by this event.
Delays and Evidence Review
According to recent Reuters reporting, Judge Lewis Kaplan is considering whether to push back the trial by as much as five months. Additionally, merging this trial with another one involving allegations of forgery against Bankman-Fried in the Bahamas is under consideration.
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The legal team representing Bankman-Fried contends that their client was not given the hard discs holding millions of pages’ worth of important material in time for a thorough assessment. According to Judge Kaplan, “If the defendant in good conscience feels that he needs a postponement … they can ask.”
But it seems Judge Kaplan is unwilling to postpone the trial due to the sheer amount of evidence. The defense, according to him, would have to show that there was a “genuine and unanticipated need” for the delay. Kaplan adds that there is no proof of prosecution wrongdoing because Bankman-Fried had access to his personal Google account before his bail was revoked, which is where a lot of the material comes from.
Challenges and Potential Trial Timeline
The legal team for Bankman-Fried has faced a number of difficulties during this litigation process. They initially asked for unrestricted visits from their client in jail, and they then enquired about a possible pre-trial release.
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Due to accusations of witness tampering, Bankman-Fried’s bail was revoked earlier this month, adding to the case’s complexity. The trial’s timetable may be significantly altered if it is coupled with the forgery case, shifting it from the originally planned date of October 3rd, 2023, to March 11th, 2024.
The accusations against Bankman-Fried are severe and relate to the collapse of the cryptocurrency exchange FTX in 2022, including claims of scamming investors and improper management of client cash totaling billions of dollars. He might perhaps spend several years behind bars if proven guilty.
The cryptocurrency community and legal analysts will be keenly watching the events in this high-profile case, which could have huge repercussions for the crypto business, as the judicial processes continue.