EXCLUSIVE: Detained Binance executive escapes from custody in Nigeria
Mr Anjarwalla escaped a day after the Nigerian government slammed a four-count criminal charge on him, Tigran Gambaryan and Binance.
ByOladeinde Olawoyin March 25, 2024 Reading Time: 3 mins read
Nadeem Anjarwalla, one of the two Binance executives detained in Nigeria for alleged tax evasion and other offences, has escaped from lawful custody, those familiar with the matter have told PREMIUM TIMES.

Our sources said 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 remains unclear how Mr Anjarwalla got on an international flight despite his British passport, with which he entered Nigeria, remaining in the custody of the Nigerian authorities.



FIRS
Authorities are also said to be working to unravel his intended destination in a bid to get him back into custody.

An Immigration official said the Binance executive fled Nigeria on a Kenyan passport. He, however, said authorities were trying to determine how he obtained the passport, given that he had no other travel document (apart from the British passport) on him when he was taken into custody.

Another source said the two officials were held at a “comfortable guest house” and allowed many rights, including the use of telephones, a privilege Mr Anjarwalla is believed to have exploited to plot an escape.

When contacted Sunday night on the escape of the Binance executive from detention, the Head of Strategic Communication at the Office of the National Security Adviser, Zakari Mijinyawa, said he would enquire and revert. He has yet to do so as of the time of filing this report.

Mr Anjarwalla, Binance’s Africa regional manager, and Tigran Gambaryan, a US citizen overseeing financial crime compliance at the crypto exchange platform, were detained upon their arrival in Nigeria on 26 February 2024.

A criminal charge was filed against the two executives before a Magistrate Court in Abuja. On 28 February 2024, the court granted the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) an order to remand the duo for 14 days. The court also ordered Binance to provide the Nigerian government with the data/information of Nigerians trading on its platform.

Following Binance’s refusal to comply with the order, the court extended the remand of the officials for an additional 14 days to prevent them from tampering with evidence. The court then adjourned the case till 4 April 2024.

Also on 22 March, the Nigerian government approached the Federal High Court in Abuja and slammed another four-count charge on Binance Holdings Limited, Mr Anjarwalla and Mr 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 and in so doing, committed an offence, contrary to and punishable under Section 8 of the Value Added Tax Act of 1993 (as Amended).

The defendants were also accused of offering taxable services to subscribers on their trading platform while failing to issue invoices to those subscribers to determine and pay their value-added taxes and, in so doing, committed an offence contrary to and punishable under S.29 of the Value Added Tax Act of 1993 (as amended).

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Count Three of the charges accused the three defendants of offering services to subscribers on their Binance trading platform for the buying and selling of cryptocurrencies and the remittance and transfer of those assets while failing to deduct the necessary Value Added Taxes arising from their operations and thereby committing an offence contrary to and punishable under Section 40 of the Federal Inland Revenue Service Establishment Act 2007 (as amended).

The last count of the charges wants the defendants punished for allegedly aiding and abetting subscribers on their Binance trading platform to unlawfully refuse to pay taxes or neglect to pay those taxes and, in so doing, committing an offence contrary to and punishable under the provisions of S.94 of the Companies Income Tax Act (as amended).

The Nigerian government had, in the past three months, been cracking down on suspected money launderers and terrorism financiers, some of whom it alleged are using the Binance platform for criminal activities

The Nigerian government said over $21.6 billion was traded by Nigerians whose identities were concealed by Binance.



The government also claimed its investigations revealed that unscrupulous elements were using Binance for money laundering, terrorist financing, currency speculation and market manipulation, distorting the Nigerian economy and weakening the Naira against other currencies

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The detention of Binance officials in Nigeria began months after the crypto exchange platform pleaded guilty and agreed to pay $4.3 billion to settle criminal money laundering charges levied by the US Department of Justice.

Binance founder and CEO Changpeng Zhao, also known as CZ, pleaded guilty and agreed to resign. His criminal trial has been postponed to 30 April by a US court.

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Tinubu is a disaster

It'll be a surprise if surprising things no dey happen "ONLY IN Nigeria".

Another source said the two officials were held at a “comfortable guest house” and allowed many rights, including the use of telephones, a privilege Mr Anjarwalla is believed to have exploited to plot an escape.

How to get VIP Treatments as a criminal:
1. Steal enough money that can cripple progress
2. Be a Pawn in the corruption game
3. Have politicians in your payroll


That's to say, just be a Bas--tard and you get rights even under treasonable acts.

Political escape.

Tinubu alone cannot take Nigeria to the promise land.
Building Nigeria requires a concerted effort.
A guard on minimum wage has probably been given thousands of dollars 💵 for the escape.

Naija the great!

The real enemies of the country have released them. They didn't escape, they were released and escorted out of the country

These are the people who laundered billions of dollars through Binance and they have connections with those occupying aso rock

That's what you get when a drug lord and money launderer is president.

Is04970:
Tinubu alone cannot take Nigeria to the promise land.
Building Nigeria requires a concerted effort.
A guard on minimum wage has probably been given thousands of dollars 💵 for the escape.

..now is to blame the security guards..

The failures of the security can be blamed on Thief'nubu who does not know what minimum wage is. Leaving criminals in the hands of minimum wage security guards

When top 10 Binance trader are criminal politicians that laundering money through Binance They will protect their names from be revealed by Binance. If the remain one can not escape they will try to kill him.

Then if this is actually true, then niaja na cruise.

infact I will personally sue the government to provide the man

This is Nigeria , if a ship under detention can 'disappear", every other thing is possible as long as you are ready to pay the price

This guy go tey for Nigerian Prison when hand touch him again

I always tell people this administration is the worst in the history of Nigeria

Foreigners knows Nigeria than Nigerians

shortgun:

I always tell people this administration is the worst in the history of Nigeria

another igbo

Good. Now let me cross my namr from the draft list of top 100 traders 😅

Tinubu will be like WTF!

But if this news is true, those in charge of securing the prisoners, the airport staff, the immigration staff that offered different passports to same individual should all go in for it

BTC changing hands
Its not easy, exchange rate is high
Police must chop too
While politicians steal by padding the budget, police steal too by exchanging money for freedom frpm those who arw willing to purchase it
Nigeria is a shi#t hole Country

Goodnewsforlife:
if not that u are stupid, so it is tinubu that is guarding him or in charge of the cells they were kept?

U dingbats keep blaming tinubu but don’t use your head to understand that tinubu can’t b everywhere


I am not surprised thou, the wise man left d east a long time ago na only mumu men remain for there now

The buck stops at Tinubu's table

Your attempt to exonerate Tinubu has failed woefully.

When they were arrested, you hailed Tinubu. Now that they have escaped from custody, Tinubu is not responsible for guarding them.

How Binanace executives escaped detention and Nnamdi Kanu still dey detention? This is a treasonable offence and those guards should get a life sentence if the government is not involved.

kenny714433:


Good. Now let me cross my namr from the draft list of top 100 traders 😅

Tinubu will be like WTF!

But if this news is true, those in charge of securing the prisoners, the airport staff, the immigration staff that offered different passports to same individual should all go in for it

Go for what!!....hian, Just enjoy cruise abeg.

Living lavilaloca mehn. That guy just pulled the movie on us. Now you will know that those action movies with intriguing suspense you watch came from real life inspirations.

Nobody slept, he did not escape. He was let out!!. Check Extraction II. This is the Nigerian Version.

Yinmu. He can run but can't hide for ever

Lol he must have offered millions to the security night guide. Imagine a security earning 50k being offered 5 million to work your escape.

Ofunaofu:


The buck stops at Tinubu's table

Your attempt to exonerate Tinubu has failed woefully.

When they were arrested, you hailed Tinubu. Now that they have escaped from custody, Tinubu is not responsible for guarding them.

oga y don’t u people always use your head when u are about to hate?

So are u saying the president should b present everywhere in d country?
U use America n co as example but u fail to acknowledge d fact that it’s not only the president that is at work

So if we have stupid citizens who creates loopholes in d government, what do u expect?
I don’t blame u people

It’s part of post election loss trauma


When tinubu does something then he’s d most stupid man on earth

But if obi does the same thing he’s d best thing on earth

I know u exonerate obi for d awkuzu massacre but y are here blaming Tinubu

In the first place, he was kidnapped by OUR government. It's like the Ghanaian govt asking Dangote Group to send over some executives to give clarifications on some business deals and when they get there, Ghana arrests them and charges them to court. That's daylight brigandage.

I won't insult or blame tinubu until he fails to fire someone high up for this.

The NSA, minister for interior, police IG ...somebody must pay for this international disgrace.

Jesus!!!

What a country

Make you hear the guy name sef.. Mr -An- don 'Ja(pa)', e mo get time for "wa(ha)lla".. Na Oduology o!
On a serious note, it exposes the extreme lapses in the country's security network. 9ja seems to be porous in almost every way!!

kenny714433:


Good. Now let me cross my namr from the draft list of top 100 traders 😅

Tinubu will be like WTF!

But if this news is true, those in charge of securing the prisoners, the airport staff, the immigration staff that offered different passports to same individual should all go in for it

God bless u for the last paragraph

I wonder how some fools will blame tinubu for everything

Tochi3:
..now is to blame the security guards..

The failures of the security can be blamed on Thief'nubu who does not know what minimum wage is. Leaving criminals in the hands of minimum wage security guards

I guess that’s y peter obi too should b hanged for awkuzu massacre

Or u want to tell me he’s innocent?

Goodnewsforlife:
another igbo

I'm deeply proud of my Igbo identity, particularly if it means standing by the truth and speaking the truth not minding whose ox is gored. Now go hit your empty head on a reinforced concrete wall.

shortgun:

I'm deeply proud of my Igbo identity, particularly if it means standing by the truth and speaking the truth not minding whose ox is gored. Now go hit your empty head on a reinforced concrete wall.

now that I know clearly

No need arguing with an hater

We rejected your tribe so we know d root of your pains