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The US Justice Department has made another attempt to obtain access to federal jury records from the probe into the late financier, which ultimately led to his federal indictment in 2019.

Lawmakers' Move Drives New Judicial Effort

The recently filed petition, prepared by the federal prosecutor for the southern district, declares that Congress made it clear when approving the release of case documents that these judicial documents should be made public.

"The lawmakers' decision overrode existing law in a manner that enables the disclosure of the sealed testimony," noted the government lawyers.

Deadline Considerations

The petition asked the district court to move swiftly in releasing the materials, citing the 30-day period established after the bill was approved last week.

Earlier Motion Faced Refusal

However, this new initiative comes after a previous motion from the previous administration was denied by the federal judge, who cited a "important and persuasive factor" for maintaining the records confidential.

In his August ruling, Berman observed that the limited documentation of jury testimony and evidence, containing a slide deck, call logs, and correspondence from victims and their lawyers, seem insignificant beside the federal extensive repository of case-related files.

"The authorities' massive collection of case documents dwarf the limited grand jury materials," wrote the judge in his judgment, observing that the motion appeared to be a "distraction" from releasing documents already in the authorities' custody.

Content of the Grand Jury Documents

The confidential documents primarily consist of the account of an government agent, who served as the lone witness in the grand jury proceedings and reportedly had "no direct knowledge of the facts of the case" with testimony that was "mostly hearsay."

Security Concerns

Judge Berman identified the "possible threats to affected individuals' protection and privacy" as the persuasive factor for preserving the records under seal.

Related Case

A parallel motion to release grand jury testimony concerning the prosecution of his associate was also rejected, with the presiding judge observing that the federal petition incorrectly indicated the grand jury materials contained an "unexplored treasure trove of undisclosed information" about the investigation.

Ongoing Developments

The current motion comes soon after the designation of a fresh attorney to investigate his associations with well-known politicians and multiple months after the termination of one of the lead prosecutors working on the proceedings.

When inquired about how the ongoing investigation might affect the publication of case materials in federal custody, the chief law enforcement officer stated: "We cannot comment on that because it is now a ongoing inquiry in the southern district."