The U.S. Justice Department Won't Allow SBF To Have A Fair Trial
The U.S. Justice Department and businessman Sam Bankman-Fried are currently at odds over the final list of witnesses scheduled to testify in court in October.
The dispute began as early as last month when the DOJ rejected the entire list of witnesses proposed by Bankman-Fried. The lack of expertise of seven witnesses proved to be a compelling reason for the government's position.
On Monday evening, the businessman's attorneys opposed the DOJ's decision, deeming it unreasonable. In addition, they pointed out in a new court filing that the Justice Ministry prevents a fair trial of Bankman-Fried.
Each side gave the court their arguments as to why a particular witness list should be approved. The defendant's witness list includes consultant Thomas Bishop, data analytics and forensics expert Brian Kim, and Capital University Law School professor Bradley Smith. They will explain FTX's operations and the firm's infrastructure to the court and jury.
Although former FTX executives will testify in favor of Bankman-Fried, the DOJ intends to invite them to testify. The government also opposed a defense motion to preclude the admission of University of Notre Dame professor Peter Easton. This is an important witness for the prosecution as he will provide the jury with insight into Alameda Research's significant deficit balances, use of client funds, and deficits in the companies' wallets.
The attorneys concluded that the DOJ's actions were a provocation and an attempt to prevent Bankman-Fried from exercising his right to a defense.
