Binance Executive Arraigned In Abuja Court Over ‘Money Laundering’

Tigran Gambaryan, the Head of Financial Crime Compliance at Binance, appeared in the Federal High Court in Abuja to face charges of money laundering.

Gambaryan, along with Nadeem Anjarwalla, Binance’s Regional Manager for Africa, was apprehended by Nigerian authorities on February 28.

While Anjarwalla managed to escape from the custody of the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA), both executives and Binance itself are slated to be prosecuted by the Federal Government for tax evasion and money laundering.

Dressed in a black T-shirt and green pants, Gambaryan was escorted into the courtroom by officials of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on Thursday morning, April 4.

During the court session, the prosecution counsel, Moses Ideho, informed the court that they had been unable to serve Gambaryan with a copy of the charges due to access issues.

“My lord, the prosecution has not been able to serve a copy of the charge on the second defendant (Gambaryan).

“As a result, we mobilised the court bailiff to serve the second defendant but he was denied access, too,” Ideho said.

Thereafter, Ideho requested permission to serve the defendant in court, which was granted.

After serving the court documents on Gambaryan, the prosecution requested either a brief recess or an adjournment to allow the defendant to consult with his legal representatives.

With no objection from the defense counsel, Emeka Nwite, the presiding judge adjourned the case to April 19 for the arraignment of the defendants.

Notably, neither Binance nor Anjarwalla were represented by legal counsel during the proceedings.

KanyiDaily had reported how Nadeem Anjarwalla absconded from the Abuja guest house where he and a colleague were detained on March 22.

The Binance Executive is believed to have left Abuja via a Middle Eastern airline, raising questions about how he managed to board an international flight despite holding a British passport.