Latest Reports On SBF’s Trial: Day 15
Day 15 of Sam Bankman-Fried's trial centered on his relations to the Bahamian government and money issues, with both prosecution and defense presenting key arguments. The trial's conclusion is near.
Day 15 of Sam Bankman-Fried (SBF) trial saw prosecutors question SBF about his ties to the Bahamian government and money matters. Later, the defense team tried to clarify some points raised during the questioning.
The day began with questions about SBF’s relationship with the Bahamas’ Prime Minister, Philip Davis. SBF admitted to knowing some government members, but couldn’t recall certain details, like giving the PM special seats at a basketball game. The prosecution showed proof, like messages and videos, of these connections.
The focus then turned to SBF’s ties with famous people like Bill Clinton and questions about money. SBF was asked about his actions after learning about a huge $8 billion mistake and his dealings with a company called North Dimension. SBF responded saying he had learned about the bug that caused the $8 billion but did not make efforts to find out about it.
He admitted to some facts but seemed unsure about others.
The defense then had a chance to clarify SBF’s actions and decisions. They spoke about his role in a legal matter called the Robin Hood litigation and his understanding of a technology database. This part showed that SBF followed laws and knew the technical parts of his company.
At the end of the day, there was a discussion about the charges against SBF. Both sides argued about the exact words to use in the charges, The judge also asked that the term “alleged” be stricken when referring to straw donations (indirect political donations) and SBF lawyers agreed. They also talked about what the jury should be told about certain ideas, like conscious avoidance, meaning he could be charged as guilty for knowing about the $8 billion mistake and not taking the right action.
The trial is nearing its end. Both sides will give their final arguments to the jury soon. But there might be a small delay because one juror has a flight on Thursday, the day the trial might end. Both sides are figuring out how to handle this situation.