One of the Binance executives, Nadeem Anjarwalla detained in Nigeria over alleged tax evasion and other offenses, has reportedly escaped from lawful custody.
According to Premium Times, Mr. Anjarwalla, 38, fled on Friday, March 22, from the Abuja guest house where he and his colleague were detained. Guards on duty allegedly escorted him to a nearby mosque for prayers during the ongoing Ramadan fast, providing him with an opportunity to escape. The British citizen, who also holds Kenyan citizenship, is believed to have left Abuja on a Middle Eastern airliner.
It remains unclear how Mr. Anjarwalla managed to board an international flight despite his British passport, which he used to enter Nigeria, remaining in the custody of Nigerian authorities. Efforts are underway to ascertain his intended destination and bring him back into custody.
An Immigration official stated that the Binance executive fled Nigeria using a Kenyan passport, but authorities are investigating how he obtained this passport, as he had no other travel document apart from the British passport when he was taken into custody.
Mr. Anjarwalla, Binance’s Africa regional manager, and Tigran Gambaryan, a US citizen overseeing financial crime compliance at the crypto exchange platform, were detained upon their arrival in Nigeria on February 26, 2024.
Following their detention, a criminal charge was filed against them before a Magistrate Court in Abuja. The court granted the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) an order to remand the duo for 14 days. Binance was also ordered to provide the Nigerian government with data/information on Nigerians trading on its platform. However, Binance refused to comply with the order, leading to an extension of the remand period for an additional 14 days.
On March 22, the Nigerian government filed another four-count charge against Binance Holdings Limited, Mr. Anjarwalla, and Mr. Gambaryan at the Federal High Court in Abuja. The charges accused them of offering services to subscribers on their platform without registering with the Federal Inland Revenue Service to pay relevant taxes.
This development comes amidst Nigeria’s crackdown on suspected money launderers and terrorism financiers, with the government alleging that Binance was used for criminal activities, including money laundering, terrorist financing, currency speculation, and market manipulation.
The detention of Binance officials in Nigeria followed the platform’s guilty plea and agreement to pay $4.3 billion to settle criminal money laundering charges by the US Department of Justice.
