Beleaguered FTX ex-CEO Sam Bankman Fried (SBF) could be extradited to the United States as early as this week.
According to a New York Times (NYT) report, SBF reportedly told the court in the Bahamas on Monday that he was ready to waive his right to fight extradition to the US, where he faces an array of charges following the collapse of his crypto exchange last month.
The hearing, which took less than an hour, was unexpected, with SBF’s local defence lawyer Jerone Roberts saying that he had not been informed of the hearing. The court reportedly accorded a 15 minutes recess to allow Roberts to confer with SBF over his extradition remarks. The lawyer later told the court that his client wanted to see the indictment against him before agreeing to extradition. However, due to the mix-up, the judge decided to send SBF back to prison pending a proper hearing.
Whereas it is unclear what led to SBF’s change of attitude, a source who asked not to be identified noted that it was likely because he would be able to get bail in the US. Some believe that SBF would rather be held in the relatively luxurious US correction facilities than in his current Bahamian corrections department, which is said to be overcrowded and dirty.
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