A Federal High Court sitting in Nigeria’s capital, Abuja, on Thursday adjourned the trial of detained Binance Holdings Limited executive, Tigran Gambaryan, till May 17 2024 for the continuation of his trial.
AMBusiness reported that Gambaryan and his fleeing colleague, Nadeem Anjarwalla, and Binance Holdings Limited are being prosecuted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission and the Federal Inland Revenue Service.
The anti-graft agency accused them of concealing the source of the $35,400,000 generated as revenue by Binance in Nigeria knowing that the funds constituted proceeds of unlawful activity.
BBC Pidgin reported that a minor courtroom drama unfolded when Binance’s counsel, Tonye Krukrubo, informed the court that the prosecution had not provided them with the evidence supporting the allegations against them.
The court bailiff reported that he attempted to serve the documents on Gambaryan at Kuje Prison on April 30th, but Gambaryan refused to accept them.
Justice Emeka Nwite then instructed the bailiff to serve the counsel in court and adjourned the matter to May 17, 2024, for further proceedings.
May 17 is also the date on which Justice Nwite was set to rule on whether to grant Gambaryan bail, but the EFCC opposes the bail application due to concerns about how the other Binance executive, Nadeem Anjarwalla, managed to escape custody.
Gambaryan attempted to escape Kuje – EFCC
An April 25 report by The Punch revealed that the Armenian-born Gambaryan who has both American and Armenian passports had attempted to escape from Kuje Correctional Facility.
Gambaryan reportedly applied for a new United States of America passport, under the pretence that his seized passport was missing.
An ‘impeccable anti-graft source privy to the development but not authorized’ told The Punch that the embattled Binance executive told the US Embassy in Abuja that he lost his passport which the EFCC is currently holding.
A source, who is privy to the investigations, revealed that “The second Binance executive, Tigran Gambaryan, who is currently remanded in Kuje prison, has planned to escape from the facility. He applied to the US embassy in Abuja to issue him a new Visa while lying that he lost his passport which was seized by the EFCC.”
Another source, who insisted on anonymity, noted that “Gambaryan could have escaped from Kuje if not for the fact that the US embassy flagged his request for a new passport. Fortunately, the US embassy immediately reached out to the EFFC, and the embassy was informed that he’s a criminal suspect whose case is currently in court for alleged money laundering – concealing the source of the $35,400, 000 generated as revenue by Binance in Nigeria knowing that the funds constituted proceeds of unlawful activity.”
With Gambaryan’s co-defendant Anjarwalla on the run having fled from the custody of the National Security Adviser before he escaped to Kenya, the EFCC on April 24 urged Justice Emeka Nwite of the Federal High Court Abuja to deny Gambaryan’s bail application.
Paperwork for Anjarwalla’s repatriation from Kenya almost done – INTERPOL
The Vice-President of the International Criminal Police Organization for Africa, Garba Umar, has revealed that the paperwork for the repatriation of the fleeing Binance executive, Anjarwalla, to Nigeria is almost complete.
Following his escape from Nigerian custody, it has been widely reported that Anjarwalla who was traced to Kenya has been arrested and could be repatriated to Nigeria.
“Binance executive, Nadeem Anjarwalla, has been arrested by the Kenya Police Service, and he will be extradited to Nigeria this week by INTERPOL,” a government source, who was not authorised to speak on the matter, had told The PUNCH on condition of anonymity.
“As we had said before that Anjarwalla would be extradited, he has been arrested in Kenya, and he’ll be extradited to Nigeria this week,” the official added.
Confirming the development, Umar, told Channels TV that all paperwork has been completed for the extradition of the fleeing 38-year-old Briton-Kenyan.
Umar revealed that INTERPOL is currently engaging with the Kenyan government by presenting the relevant treaties, Memorandum of Understanding and other documents to convince the Kenyan government to release and send Anjarwalla back to Nigeria to face his trial.
Appearing on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily programme on Tuesday, Umar said, “For every country, there is a law. If a fugitive escapes, there are processes which that country follows up on. INTERPOL will only provide information to assist that country, informing them about the bilateral agreements, the MOU, and the signed conventions for extraditing a fleeing fugitive. The process is ongoing.
“Nadeem is not an exception, and rest assured, we have all the cooperation, and we are working on it. And definitely, one day, he will be brought to justice. It is just a matter of time. We have completed all the paperwork. All the law enforcement agencies have completed the paperwork and handed it over to Interpol, which is working on it.”
