The Nigerian government has recently targeted Binance and detained two senior executives. After one executive escaped, the other detained executive, Tigran Gambaryan, who is in charge of Binance’s Financial Crime Compliance, recently filed a lawsuit against the Nigerian government, accusing the country of human rights violations and demanding immediate release.
Background:
Binance executive escapes detention in Nigeria, how did he regain his freedom? Binance spokesperson speaks out.
Nigeria has recently banned exchanges such as Binance and Coinbase, accusing Binance of “manipulating exchange rates,” causing the Nigerian Naira to depreciate by 70% and also being involved in money laundering. Two Binance executives went to Nigeria in late February to negotiate with the authorities but were detained by the Nigerian government.
Nadeem Anjarwalla, 38 years old, with dual citizenship of the UK and Kenya, Binance’s Regional Manager for Africa, has escaped from detention and left Nigeria. However, Tigran Gambaryan, an American citizen and head of Binance’s Financial Crime Compliance, continues to be detained.
Detained executives sue the Nigerian government:
According to local media reports, Tigran Gambaryan has filed a lawsuit against the Nigerian government, requesting the Federal High Court of Nigeria to order the National Security Advisor’s Office (ONSA) and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to apologize for his detention. Nadeem Anjarwalla, who has already left the country, has also filed a similar lawsuit.
In his motion, Tigran Gambaryan stated that shortly after his arrival in February, he was detained by Nigerian authorities and had his passport confiscated, which violated the Nigerian constitution that guarantees individual freedom. He accused the Nigerian government of using his detention “as a means of pressuring Binance and insisting on demands from Binance.” The motion emphasized that Nigeria could have communicated with Binance through other channels instead of detaining him, who had only attended one meeting. He requested the court to order his immediate release and compel the authorities to return his passport and issue a public apology.
During the court hearing, Tigran Gambaryan’s lawyer informed Judge Inyang Ekwo that the motion had been conveyed to the defendants and that they still had time to respond. The lawyer requested an adjournment to allow ONSA and EFCC to reply. The judge approved the adjournment request, and the case will be heard on April 8.
Possibility of the escaped executive being apprehended again:
The Nigerian government’s tax evasion case against Binance and the two executives is expected to begin trial on April 4 at the Federal High Court of Nigeria. Meanwhile, the Nigerian government plans to seek assistance from Interpol to re-arrest Nadeem Anjarwalla and bring him back to face trial.
Previously, Binance responded to the Nigerian accusations, stating that it had always been law-abiding and had substantial cooperation with the Nigerian government, including actively cooperating with Nigerian-related investigations by the Financial Crime Compliance team and assisting in training investigators. Binance also emphasized its commitment to continue working with Nigerian law enforcement agencies to promote responsible growth.
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