Sam Bankman-Fried said customer funds would be kept safe, FTX ex-lawyer testifies

FILE PHOTO: Former FTX Chief Executive Sam Bankman-Fried, who faces fraud charges over the collapse of the bankrupt cryptocurrency exchange, leaves following a hearing at Manhattan federal court in New York City, U.S. January 3, 2023. REUTERS/Andrew Kelly/File Photo

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Cryptocurrency exchange FTX's former top lawyer testified on Thursday at its founder Sam Bankman-Fried's fraud trial that the defendant told him that the now-bankrupt company had kept its customer funds safe and separate from its own assets.

Can Sun, FTX's former general counsel, also said he never approved the lending of FTX customer funds to Alameda Research, Bankman-Fried's crypto-focused hedge fund.