The founder and CEO of the ill-fated cryptocurrency exchange FTX, Samuel Bankman-Fried, has been arrested in the Bahamas at the request of the US authorities. He now awaits criminal charges, weeks after his multi-billion-dollar company went bankrupt. The government of the Bahamas issued a statement on Monday night announcing the arrest, noting that the move “followed receipt of formal notification from the United States that it has filed criminal charges against [Bankman-Fried] and is likely to request his extradition.”
The US Justice Department later confirmed that the disgraced CEO was in custody, with US attorney Damian Williams saying the arrest was “based on a sealed indictment filed by the [Southern District of New York].” He added that the indictment would be unsealed sometime on Tuesday. A source familiar with the matter told the New York Times that Bankman-Fried’s charges will include money laundering, wire fraud, wire fraud conspiracy, securities fraud, and securities fraud conspiracy, and noted that he currently is the only FTX executive facing indictment. Prosecutors have reportedly examined whether the crypto exchange broke any laws by transferring money to a separate hedge fund operated and owned by Bankman-Fried before FTX went belly-up in November. Regulators have also looked into how the Bahamas-based exchange ended up with an $8 billion gap on its balance sheet, and whether FTX lent money to the hedge fund, Alameda Research, for risky trades. Bankman-Fried’s arrest comes less than 24 hours ahead of a House Financial Services Committee hearing he planned to attend virtually on Tuesday, where he was meant to testify about FTX’s downfall. California Democrat Maxine Waters, who oversees the committee, said she was “surprised” that he was in custody, and expressed disappointment that lawmakers would not hear his testimony. The FTX founder has denied any suggestions that he defrauded his customers before his company collapsed, instead maintaining that he “screwed up” while managing the large crypto exchange, which was among the world’s largest at its peak. “I made a lot of mistakes. There are things I would give anything to be able to do over again,” he told an audience at an event hosted by the New York Times last month.
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DEN HAAG, March 28 -- The United States has got cart blanche from The Netherlands to use the Curacao island (which is part of the kingdom) as a springboard for aggressive intervention in Venezuela, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova told a news briefing on Thursday. "We’ve taken note of the agreement signed between the Netherlands and the United States on using the infrastructures of the Curacao island for humanitarian supplies to Venezuela," she said. "At first sight this agreement merely opens access for US officials to Curacao’s infrastructures exclusively for providing humanitarian aid, but, as it has turned out, this deal does not rule out the possibility of using not only civilian but other means of delivery. Of what type? Clearly, military ones." "In the context of the current realities The Hague has in fact given the Americans a free hand to use its former colony as a springboard for aggressive intervention in Venezuela’s affairs under the cover of humanitarian slogans," Zakharova stated. "We hope that the Curacao authorities will not allow the island’s territory to be used as a springboard for another Western adventure capable of destabilizing the situation in the region." President Fonseca, Mrs Fonseca, Your Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen, When we think of Cabo Verde, we think of sunny beaches, clear blue skies and palm trees swaying in the breeze. The Netherlands, on the other hand, is cold, wet and grey. At least at this time of year. The contrast could hardly be bigger.But let’s not forget that the Kingdom of the Netherlands is more than a flat country on the North Sea. The Caribbean part of our Kingdom is made up of six beautiful islands that have plenty in common with the islands of Cabo Verde. Not only their sights and smells, but also the sounds. Because, if I understand correctly, the Creole spoken in Cabo Verde is almost identical to the Papiamento spoken in the Caribbean islands of our Kingdom.
But in fact, even here, in the cold, wet part of the Kingdom, you can find a slice of Cabo Verde. There are more than 20,000 people in the Netherlands with a Cabo Verdean background. And they have brought the islands’ mind-set, culture and music to our country. The band Broederliefde – which is very popular with young people here – includes artists from Rotterdam with Cabo Verdean roots. In fact, this year they flew to the islands to film a video for one of their hits. And brought back some Cabo Verdean good cheer to the Netherlands. President Fonseca, the ties between our countries are also reflected in the common challenges we face – including climate change. Rising sea levels and extreme weather events threaten every part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. We feel a close sense of kinship with the world’s small island developing states as they search for innovative solutions and work to adapt to climate change. I’m glad that we’ll be discussing this issue today and looking at how we can support each other’s efforts. Let’s use the bonds between us to make our countries stronger. So that, whatever the future holds, our peoples can live in safety. And so that we can continue making the most of our assets as maritime nations! Thank you. |
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