Former FTX CEO, Sam Bankman-Fried, has objected to a request made by prosecutors to allow a Ukraine-based witness to testify remotely via video conference in his upcoming fraud trial. The trial is scheduled to commence on Tuesday and is expected to run through November.
Prosecutors filed a request in federal court, citing the ongoing war in Ukraine as the reason why the FTX customer cannot testify in person. They identified the witness as “FTX Customer-1,” a young male who suffered significant financial losses after entrusting his life savings to the bankrupt cryptocurrency exchange, FTX, when Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022.
However, Bankman-Fried’s defense team stated in a court filing on Saturday that they do not consent to the proposal. The FTX customer in question is unable to travel outside of Ukraine due to the country’s wartime law, which restricts men fit for combat from leaving. While it is possible for the witness to seek a special exemption to exit the country, prosecutors estimated that the travel time alone would take around three days in each direction, necessitating a complicated route through the ongoing war.
Both the prosecutors and Bankman-Fried’s representatives declined to comment on the matter. The prosecution argued that international witness testimony is crucial in understanding the global nature and influence of the FTX crypto-exchange. They highlighted the complexity involved in coordinating international authorizations and travel arrangements for FTX customers, who are dispersed across the world due to the platform’s international popularity.
Bankman-Fried has been detained in a New York jail since his bail was revoked over allegations of witness tampering. The trial is eagerly anticipated, and the court calendar indicates that it will run until November 9th. As the legal proceedings inch closer, the debate regarding the Ukraine-based witness’s testimony adds another layer to the high-profile trial.