A Nigerian court has postponed the tax evasion case of the detained Binance executive to April 19, while the hearing for the cryptocurrency exchange itself is scheduled for April 8. The court also ordered that the executive Tigran Gambaryan be held in the custody of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission. Tigran Gambaryan Accused of […]
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Crypto exchange Binance, currently facing criminal charges in Nigeria, notably lacked legal representation at its April 4 court hearing in the African nation.
Instead, the hearing was only attended by its compliance chief, Tigran Gambaryan, who the Nigerian government has detained since the end of February.
However, despite expectations for the proceedings to advance, the Nigerian High Court postponed the case until April 19.
As of press time, Binance has yet to respond to CryptoSlate’s request for comment.
Last week, CryptoSlate reported that the authorities charged Binance and its executives with failing to register with relevant local agencies and avoiding tax responsibilities.
Additionally, the Nigerian government accused Binance of facilitating users who evade tax payments.
However, the government somehow failed to serve the case charges to the defendants despite having Gambaryan within their custody since February.
Chukwuka Ikwuazo, legal counsel for Gambaryan, argued that the arraignment should not proceed due to this lapse.
In the past two months, Binance has faced ongoing disputes with the Nigerian government regarding its alleged involvement in worsening the country’s foreign exchange issues.
Despite Binance’s consistent denial of any wrongdoing, the Nigerian authorities, including the Federal Inland Revenue Services and Nigeria’s Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, have filed criminal complaints against it and its executives—Nadeem Anjarwalla and Gambaryan.
Anjarwalla, a UK citizen, evaded custody in March. He is currently being tried in absentia and the government has enlisted the help of Interpol to aid in his extradition.
Conversely, Binance has called for the release of Gambaryan, emphasizing that he does not make pivotal decisions within the company.
Notably, Gambaryan has also initiated legal actions against the Nigerian authorities, citing a violation of his fundamental human rights.
The post Binance executive remains detained as Nigerian court postpones case appeared first on CryptoSlate.
A senior executive at Binance, who was detained by Nigerian authorities in late February, has since escaped from custody. The executive Nadeem Anjarwalla is believed to have left the country using a Kenyan passport. The Nigerian government confirmed Anjarwalla’s escape and said it would ask Interpol to issue an international arrest warrant. Binance Executive Departs […]
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Notable pro-crypto pressure groups in Kenya and the United States have demanded the release of Binance executives held by the Nigerian government since Feb. 26.
Last month, two Binance executives—Tigran Gambaryan and Nadeem Anjarwalla—traveled to Nigeria to address the ongoing issues surrounding the exchange’s operations in the African country.
However, instead of engaging in constructive dialogues, the Nigerian government detained them without access to their passports.
This week, Kenya’s Blockchain Association met with the Nigerian High Commission and expressed displeasure about the continued detention of Anjarwalla, a dual citizen of Kenya and Britain and the regional manager of Binance Kenya.
According to the association, the Nigerian government’s actions raise concerns about the treatment of individuals engaging in constructive dialogue with the authorities. They added:
“The arbitrary detention of Nadeem Anjarwalla and his colleague not only undermines principles of transparency, due process, and respect for human rights but also jeopardizes the advancement of blockchain technology and innovation in our region.”
As such, the association demands his immediate release and safe return to his home country.
Similarly, the Chamber of Digital Commerce, a US-based pro-crypto group, urged the US government to ensure the immediate release of Gambaryan, a former special agent of the US Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and Binance’s head of financial crime compliance.
According to the group, Gambaryan’s detention “appears to be a state-sponsored kidnapping” and a “flagrant violation of international law.”
Consequently, the group urged the US government to intervene in the case and secure the immediate release of the victims.
Meanwhile, the detained Binance executives could face an extended stay in the African nation as the Nigerian authorities are pushing for another two weeks of detention for the crypto executives.
The matter will be brought before a High Court in the nation’s capital, Abuja, for deliberation on April 5.
Since their detention, the Nigerian authorities have not charged the executives with any crime. However, the government recently got approval to get data on all Nigerian Binance users as part of its investigations into the nation’s foreign exchange challenges.
The post Kenya and US crypto groups unite in demand for release of detained Binance execs in Nigeria appeared first on CryptoSlate.
Tigran Gambaryan, a former U.S. federal agent, is one of two Binance executives being held without charge by Nigerian authorities. A local court approved the executives’ 14-day detention. Recent media reports suggest that Nigerian officials have requested Binance to disclose the identities and transaction histories of its top 100 users. Detained Executives’ Families Demand Their […]
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