Nigerian court testifies Binance‘s illegal operations, with the CBN official highlighting the lack of necessary licenses and regulatory approval.
Nigerian authorities stepped up their legal defense against cryptocurrency exchange Binance in an Abuja courtroom. Central Bank representatives testified that Binance did not have a license, consistent with claims that the company enabled illicit activities on its platform.
Binance is accused of operating without license in Nigeria
A prominent member of Nigeria’s central bank, Olubukola Akinwunmi, asserted that Binance lacked the jurisdiction to permit cryptocurrency transactions in Nigeria. One crucial thing that became clear throughout the court processes was the absence of a legal license. Using this point, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission highlighted possible legal transgressions by Binance.
According to Akinwunmi, Binance’s services were similar to those of a money brokerage needing regulatory clearance. He emphasized how naira could be exchanged for other fiat currencies via peer-to-peer technology. Such operations usually require authorization from a central bank as a bureau de change or recognized exchange.
The CBN official also took issue with Binance for permitting trading under pseudonyms on its platform. Despite Binance’s strict identity verification procedures for Nigerian users, these policies have been questioned. For Nigerian traders, Binance requires government-issued identification and local banking information.
Nigerian Officials Ignore Gambaryan’s Health
Along with the company, Tigran Gambaryan, the compliance officer at Binance, which is located in the US, is charged. Gambaryan, who has been detained at Kuje Prison since his arrest in February, has suffered from severe health problems, such as pneumonia and malaria. As his condition deteriorated, he collapsed at the beginning of the trial in May.
Prison officials delayed complying with a court order for medical attention; tests were finally performed weeks later. The results have yet to be shared with Gambaryan’s defense team. Justice Emeka Nwite took issue with this neglect and chastised the prosecution and jail officials for disobeying his orders.
If the upcoming July 16 court session does not submit the medical reports, Justice Nwite threatened to take drastic measures. Prison officials, meantime, have denied any maltreatment claims, claiming that Gambaryan’s health is not seriously compromised. The current trial has highlighted the broader effects of Nigerian cryptocurrency regulation.
An estimated 13 million clients were impacted when Binance stopped serving Nigerian users due to these legal difficulties. Due to the abrupt pullout, many people are looking for other trading platforms.