A Nigerian federal high court has ordered that a senior Binance executive be held in a prison in Abuja, the country’s capital, for more than a week, according to a report by Premium Times.
The Federal Supreme Court reportedly issued the order after the head of Binance’s financial crime department, Tigran Gambaryan, was indicted on five counts of money laundering.
The Binance director pleaded not guilty. Gambaryan’s bail hearing is scheduled for April 18, according to the report.
Late last month, Nigeria’s Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) filed several charges against Binance, Gambaryan and his colleague Nadeem Anjarwalla, the regional manager for the crypto exchange’s African operations.
The charges included “operating without the required license, unlawfully negotiating foreign exchange rates, tax evasion and concealing the source of illegal proceeds and earnings of $35.4 million.”
Anjarwalla’s whereabouts are currently unknown after he reportedly escaped custody. Nigerian authorities had detained the two at an unknown location for days.
According to Gambaryan’s lawyer, the head of Binance’s financial crime counter department “has remained in detention for more than 40 days, in violation of legal provisions.” Gambaryan is an American citizen while Anjarwalla is a British-Kenyan.
Last week, Binance cited Gambaryan’s previous stint as a US federal agent as he pleaded his case to Nigerian authorities.
“Tigran is a strict law enforcement professional and is not part of Binance management. Although he left official service of the U.S. Government, he has since remained fully committed to the role of law enforcement officer, operating as a global advocate for good governance and transparent financial regulatory practices.
Binance respectfully requests that Tigran Gambaryan, who has no decision-making authority in the company, not be held responsible while the current discussions between Binance and Nigerian government officials are ongoing.”
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