Sam Bankman-Fried’s Court Appearance Shrouded in Mystery. Who Brought Him Before the Courts for Extradition?

Sam Bankman Fried, former FTX CEO was sent back to prison today after some apparent confusion at his court hearing. It was expected that he would appear in the Bahamas court today to be extradited to the United States. However, when he arrived, no one seemed to know that he was coming.

The Daily Mail reported that the 30-year-old tapped his foot nervously and clenched and unclenched his hands before the judge arrived.

After the judge’s arrival, his lawyer Jeron Roberts told the court, “I did not request him to be here this morning.”

It is reported that Prosecutor Frankly Williams seemed surprised too, stating that the government of the Bahamas neither the government of the United States knew that Bankman-Fried would appear before a judge today.

“We are here for a certain purpose,” he said, then asked if Bankman-Fried can “tell us why he is here.”

The court was adjourned for 45 minutes for Roberts to speak with Bankman-Fried on the sidelines.

After the adjournment, Bankman-Fried was sent back to the Bahamas Department of Corrections, and no final decision was made regarding his extradition.

Sources familiar with the matter said over the weekend, that the fallen crypto genius would appear in court on Monday to willfully return to the US after a short stint at the correctional facility.

His extradition to the US means he could be sentenced to an estimated 115 years in prison. US prosecutors accused him of “one of the biggest financial frauds in US history.”

Bankman-Fried was initially expected to return to court for a bail hearing on January 7 and an extradition hearing on February 8.

Photo credit: Reuters