A detained Binance executive in the tax evasion case has reportedly escaped custody in Nigeria with a counterfeit passport and no travel documents.
Nadeem Anjarwalla, an executive of Binance, and his associates were apprehended in a guesthouse in Abuja. According to reports, after Friday Ramadan prayers at a nearby mosque, the executive purportedly evaded apprehension on Friday.
According to reports, Anjarwalla departed Abuja on a Middle Eastern airline. Even though Anjarwalla entered Nigeria with his British passport, how he boarded an international flight is still being determined. His passport is still in the custody of Nigerian authorities.
An immigration official stated that the Binance executive escaped Nigeria using a Kenyan passport; nevertheless, authorities were uncertain how Anjarwalla obtained the passport while in detention, as he lacked any other travel documentation.
As per available reports, the detained individuals were granted several privileges, including the use of mobile phones; however, it is suspected that this privilege was taken advantage of.
Upon their arrival in Nigeria on February 26, Anjarwalla, the regional manager for Binance in Africa, and Tigran Gambaryan, a U.S. citizen responsible for financial crime compliance at Binance, were both apprehended.
A magistrate court in Abuja received a criminal complaint against the two individuals, which resulted in their apprehension.
The court granted a 14-day remand to the two individuals in charge of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). In addition, it required Binance to provide the Nigerian government with information and data about Nigerian traders who utilize its platform.
To deter the officials from tampering with evidence, the court extended their confinement for fourteen days after Binance refused to comply with the court order.
Individuals and organizations implicated in money laundering and terrorist financing through the Binance cryptocurrency exchange have been subject to stringent penalties by the Nigerian government.
According to government reports, individuals engaged in laundering approximately $21 billion through the Binance exchange.