By Abiola Olawale
The Federal Government has reportedly found the fleeing Binance executive, Nadeem Anjarwalla, in Kenya.
The New Diplomat reports that Anjarwalla escaped from lawful custody on Friday, March 22, 2024.
Anjarwalla, 38, ran away from the Abuja guest house where he and his colleague were detained after guards on duty led him to a nearby mosque for prayers in the spirit of the recently concluded Ramadan fast.
Following the development, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), took over the case against Binance Holdings, putting Tigran Gambaryan in its detention facility. The Federal Government also announced that it has contacted international security agents in search of Anjarwalla.
Latest reports coming in on the matter revealed that Anjarwalla has been sighted somehow in Kenya where he has been hiding since his escape.
A source knowledgeable on the matter said the EFCC, the International Criminal Police (INTERPOL), the Nigeria Police Force and the Kenyan Police Service are already in talks to quicken Anjarwalla’s extradition.
The source revealed: “We have found him. We know where he is. He is in Kenya, and we’re working with the authorities to bring him back to Nigeria.”
“All hands are on the deck. The government and all the security agencies are working hard in conjunction with the Kenyan authorities and INTERPOL, to ensure his return to Nigeria to face the charges brought against him.”
The New Diplomat reports that the EFCC has filed five-count charges bordering on alleged tax evasion, money laundering, and others against the cryptocurrency giant and two of its executives, Anjarwalla and Gambaryan.
The court documents revealed that the charges were filed on Thursday, March 28, 2024, before the Federal High Court of Nigeria, Abuja division.
The charges read, “That you, Binance Holdings Limited (aka Binance) Tigran Gambaryan, and Nadeem Anjarwalla (now at large), between January 2023 and January 2024 in Abuja within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court carried on specialised business of other financial institution without valid licence and thereby committed an offence contrary to section 57 (1) and (2) of the Banks and Other Financial, Institutions Act, 2020 and punishable under section 57(5) of the same Act.
“Count two, that you, Binance Holdings Limited (aka Binance) Tigran Gambaryan, and Nadeem Anjarwalla (now at large), between January 2022 and January 2024 in Abuja within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court engaged in business of other financial institution (other than insurance, stock broking and pension fund management) without valid licence and thereby committed an offence contrary to and punishable under section 58(5) of the Banks and Other Financial Institutions Act, 2020.
“Count three, that you, Binance Holdings Limited (aka Binance) between January 2022 and January 2024 in Abuja within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court not being an authorized dealer in Nigeria’s Autonomous Foreign Exchange Market used your virtual asset services platform to unlawfully negotiate foreign exchange rates in Nigeria and you thereby committed an offence contrary to and punishable under section 29(1) (c) of the Foreign Exchange (Monitoring And Miscellaneous Provisions) Act.
“Count four, that you, Binance Holdings Limited (aka Binance), Tigran Gambaryan, Nadeem Anjarwalla (now at large), and other persons at large between January 2023 and January 2024 in Abuja within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court conspired amongst yourselves to conceal the origin of the proceeds of your unlawful activities and thereby committed an offence contrary to section 21 (a) and punishable under section 18(3) of the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022.
“Count five, that you, Binance Holdings Limited (“aka Binance”) Tigran Gambaryan, and Nadeem Anjarwalla between January 2023 and December 2023 in Abuja within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court concealed the origin of a cumulative sum of $35,400,000 generated as revenue by Binance in Nigeria knowing that the funds constituted proceeds of unlawful activity and you thereby committed an offence contrary to and punishable under section 18 (3) of the Money Laundering (Prevention and prohibition) Act, 2022.”
It would be recalled that on March 22, the Nigerian government approached the Federal High Court in Abuja and slammed another four-count charge on Binance Holdings Limited, Anjarwalla, and Gambaryan, accusing them of offering services to subscribers on their platform while failing to register with the Federal Inland Revenue Service to pay all relevant taxes administered by the service.
