A Binance executive named Nadeem Anjarwalla was arrested in Nigeria for alleged tax evasion and other crimes. However, Mr. Anjarwalla managed to escape from the guest house in Abuja where he was being held. According to PREMIUM TIMES, he escaped on March 22nd by being escorted to a nearby mosque for prayers during the Ramadan fast. He is believed to have flown out of Abuja using a Middle Eastern airline, though it is unclear how he managed to do so without being caught by Nigerian authorities. It is also unknown where he intended to go. Nigerian authorities are currently working to determine his intended destination so they can bring him back into custody. An immigration official stated that the Binance executive fled Nigeria on a Kenyan passport which authorities are currently investigating. Mr. Anjarwalla worked as Binance’s Africa regional manager. He and another Binance executive, Tigran Gambaryan, were detained upon their arrival in Nigeria on February 26th, 2024. A criminal charge was filed against the two executives at a Magistrate Court in Abuja. On February 28th, 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. However, Binance refused to comply with the order, and 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 April 4th, 2024. On March 22nd, the Nigerian government accused Binance Holdings Limited, Mr. Anjarwalla and Mr. Gambaryan of offering services to subscribers on their platform without registering with the Federal Inland Revenue Service to pay all relevant taxes administered by the Service. They also allegedly failed to issue invoices to subscribers to determine and pay their value-added taxes. According to the Nigerian government, over $21.6 billion was traded by Nigerians whose identities were concealed by Binance. The government also claimed that unscrupulous elements were using Binance for money laundering, terrorist financing, currency speculation, and market manipulation, which were distorting the Nigerian economy and weakening the Naira against other currencies. The detention of the Binance executives 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 April 30th by a US court.
