Binance executive Nadeem Anjarwalla is facing extradition from Kenya following his escape from custody in Nigeria.
He was spotted after a manhunt was launched from Nigeria that led the authorities to Kenya, where his whereabouts were discovered.
According to a local report, the Nigerian government is working on extraditing Anjarwalla back to Nigeria in collaboration with Interpol and Kenyan authorities. The Binance executive will face charges related to the alleged manipulation of the Naira and the facilitation of illicit funds transactions through Binance.
Anjarwalla reportedly escaped from Nigeria by boarding a Middle Eastern airline from Abuja. Despite his U.K. passport being held by Nigerian authorities, he managed to board the flight using a Kenyan passport. This has raised questions about how he got the passport without other travel documents, leading to investigations surrounding the acquisition.
There are ongoing interrogations involving soldiers tasked with monitoring Anjarwalla, with multiple agencies such as the police, the military, the Department of State Services, and the National Intelligence Agency being engaged in the process.
Meanwhile, Tigran Gambaryan, another Binance executive, is still in custody in Nigeria and awaiting further legal proceedings. Gambaryan has pleaded not guilty, and his wife has initiated a petition to bring him back to the United States, which has gathered several signatures. To secure Gambaryan’s release, Binance argued on April 3 that he held no decision-making power in the company.
Gambaryan’s defense attorney said that, as Binance and Gambaryan were jointly charged, he could not enter a plea until the exchange, the primary defendant, had been served according to Nigerian law.
On March 5, Binance suspended all naira transactions, effectively exiting the Nigerian market. Additionally, the exchange removed all naira trading pairs from its peer-to-peer platform.
This move followed efforts by the Nigerian government to crack down on suspected money laundering activities, particularly targeting individuals allegedly using Binance for illicit purposes.
Cryptocurrency websites, including Binance, had become popular platforms for trading the Nigerian naira currency amidst the country’s ongoing challenges with chronic dollar shortages. Consequently, Nigeria pointed fingers at Binance for increasing its currency woes.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) assumed control of the investigation and brought charges against Binance Holdings Limited, Gambaryan, and Anjarwalla.
Olayemi Cardoso, the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, had previously voiced concerns about crypto exchanges in the country facilitating illicit transactions amounting to over $21.6 billion.