The Economic Financial Crime Commission (EFCC) has formally arraigned an executive of Binance Ltd, Tigran Gambaryan before the Federal High Court sitting in Abuja on Thursday, April 4, 2024.
He was arraigned before Justice Emeka Nwite over alleged money laundering, and Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) tax evasion charges.
Binance, Gambaryan and Nadeem Anjarwalla, are charged by the EFCC on five counts-charge bordering on money laundering and foreign exchange contravention to the tune of $35.4 million.
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For the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), it sued the defendants for alleged tax evasion in a separate suit.
Gambaryan’s lawyer, I. Chukwuka SAN told Justice Nwite that his client cannot be arraigned because he has not been served with the FIRS charges.
But the FIRS counsel, Moses Idem opted to serve him in open court on the grounds that the bailiff of the court has been unable to effect service.
However, the FIRS counsel urged the court to give the Binance executive time to liaise with his lawyer in respect of the charges.
He equally called for an adjournment.
The Binance executive’s lawyer did not object to the call for adjournment.
Subsequently, the judge adjourned to April 19 for arraignment in the FIRS case.
ASHENEWS reported on March 25 that one of the two detained Binance executives in Nigeria, Nadeem Anjarwalla, had escaped from custody.
Mr Anjarwalla, 38, escaped on Friday, 22 March, 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 ongoing Ramadan fast.
The Briton, who also has Kenyan citizenship, is believed to have flown out of Abuja using a Middle East airliner.
It was not clear how Mr Anjarwalla got on an international flight despite his British passport, with which he entered Nigeria.
Authorities were said to be working to unravel his intended destination in a bid to get him back into custody.
