Judge allows release of identities of Sam Bankman-Freed bailiffs

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At the same time, a US district judge allowed the former head of FTX to challenge the requirement to disclose the names of his guarantors.

Judge Lewis Kaplan granteda petition from eight media outlets that demanded the disclosure of the names of two people who posted $250 million bail for the former head of the collapsed crypto exchange FTX, Sam Bankman-Fried. The judge gave the defendant's lawyers until February 7 to challenge the decision, so the disclosure of the names of the guarantors is not guaranteed. Lawyers will likely appeal and the deadline may be extended to February 14, Lewis Kaplan said.

Media petitioners:Financial Times, Bloomberg, Reuters, CNBC, Associated Press, Washington Post, Insider and Dow Jones. The editors are confident that the public has the right to know the names of those who support the former head of FTX. Moreover, everyone knows the businessman’s connections with financial industry leaders, investors and billionaires from Silicon Valley.

Bankman-Fried Lawyers at Davis WrightTremaine believes that disclosing the names of the guarantors infringes on their privacy and security. Lawyers point to the fact that after the FTX scandal, Bankman-Fried's parents began receiving threats. 

According to the judge, he has no doubt about it,however, I have not yet received any material evidence of the threats. Moreover, Lewis Kaplan said, disclosing the names of the guarantors does not mean that they will face similar threats.

Guardian Australia previously reported thatThe Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) launched an investigation into the activities of the local division of the FTX exchange eight months before the collapse of the site.