The Tribune

By EARYEL BOWLEG

Tribune Staff Reporter

ebowleg@tribunemedia.net

ACTING Commissioner of Corrections Doan Cleare said that while former FTX CEO Sam Bankman-Fried is not “uncomfortable” in the Bahamas Department of Correctional Services, he seems ready to leave the country.

However, Mr Cleare said the 30-year-old did not give a reason for deciding to no longer fight extradition to the US to face fraud charges relating to the collapse of his crypto currency firm.

“He did not explain why. I mean you know he’s an American citizen. Fighting extradition can take years. I guess he probably was unwilling to be here for four, five years,” Mr Cleare said.

Bankman-Fried appeared in court yesterday where he was expected to reverse his decision to fight extradition to the United States. This came after he was sent to the Bahamas Department of Correctional Services (BDCS) last Tuesday.

After some arguments in court between both sides, Bankman-Fried returned to BDCS. However, his attorneys later said the former billionaire would no longer fight extradition and is expected back in court this week.

There has been speculation the disgraced cryptocurrency businessman wanted to go to the US as he could no longer endure BDCS’s conditions.

Mr Cleare stated: “He left from here in good spirits. He was a happy, jolly person.”

As for if there was any indication he was becoming uncomfortable, he explained: “No, he was not uncomfortable and he was ready to go.”

He added: “From all indications given to me on Saturday, on Friday, and on this morning, he is prepared to go. He’s ready to go.”

Questions arose over the process of how Bankman-Fried was able to go to the courthouse yesterday as one of his attorneys expressed surprise that he was there.

“Nobody is released out of this institution unless their sentence is finished or there is a court order requesting somebody,” the acting commissioner of corrections said.

He also denied international reports of the American watching movies while being on remand.

“I’m gonna end this right now because I don’t talk stupidness about watching movies. I don’t have movies in my office. The inmate doesn’t have no access to any television, any movie, anything? Right, nothing at all.”

International media have also written articles about the conditions of BDCS based on a US human rights report, but Mr Cleare argued there has been improvement at the facility since the document was produced.

“Totally unfair and I suspect - they are basing their reports on a 2019 report. You know the amount of work that was done on this place since 2019? You know that’s an old report. I gave y’all a tour of what we (were) doing (up to) two weeks ago,” he said. “There were massive renovations going on in the place and the new administration is committed to building a new prison. Groundbreaking is in January, so I’m not swayed by the international press because they don’t know.”

In November, government officials toured several prison wings under renovation at BDCS, including a newly refurbished juvenile facility that, once completed, will be able to accommodate up to 25 minor prisoners.