FTX Founder Sam Bankman-Fried Arrested, Bahamas Says

The Royal Bahamas Police Force arrested FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried, a press statement said.

The arrest came after the U.S. filed criminal charges against Bankman-Fried, the statement said, and the nation expects the U.S. to request The Bahamas extradite Bankman-Fried in short order.

"As a result of the notification received and the material provided therewith, it was deemed appropriate for the Attorney General to seek SBF’s arrest and hold him in custody pursuant to our nation’s Extradition Act," the statement, attributed to Attorney General Ryan Pinder, said. "At such time as a formal request for extradition is made, The Bahamas intends to process it promptly, pursuant to Bahamian law and its treaty obligations with the United States."

In the same statement, Bahamas Prime Minister Philip Davis said the country would continue pursuing its own investigation into FTX's collapse, alongside the U.S.'s criminal charges.

Bankman-Fried was set to testify before the House Financial Services Committee about the exchange's collapse on Tuesday. Spokespeople for both the Chair and Ranking Member did not immediately return requests for comment.

UPDATE (Dec. 12, 2022, 23:45 UTC): Adds additional comment.