The businessman of British and Kenyan nationality allegedly escaped from custody last Friday from the Abuja guest house.
This Monday it was confirmed that Binance executive Nadeem Anjarwalla escaped from the custody of Nigerian authorities. This person was under detention along with another of his colleagues, Tigran Gambaryan. Both employees had been under arrest since February on charges related to crimes at the company they represent.
Executive On the Run
Binance executive Nadeem Anjarwalla and his colleagues were detained at a guesthouse in Abuja. However, the executive reportedly fled detention on Friday, after he was taken to a nearby mosque for Friday Ramadan prayers.
Anjarwalla reportedly left Abuja on a Middle Eastern airline. However, it is unclear how Anjarwalla boarded an international flight even though his British passport, with which he entered Nigeria, remains in the custody of the Nigerian authorities.
According to an Immigration official, the Binance executive fled Nigeria with a Kenyan passport; However, authorities were trying to determine how Anjarwalla obtained the passport, as he did not have any other travel documents while in detention.
Although these employees of the cryptocurrency trading company were not charged, the company does have accusations against them. In that sense, the authorities of the African country accuse the exchange of laundering money and carrying out financing of terrorism. Added to this are recent accusations from the same country for alleged tax evasion. According to local media, the authorities have announced four new charges, all related to non-payment of taxes.
A spokesperson for the exchange told CNBC the following:
“We have been informed that Nadeem is no longer in Nigerian custody. “Our primary focus remains the safety of our employees and we are working collaboratively with authorities to quickly resolve this issue.”
Binance Executive Could Not Withstand Pressure in Custody
The aforementioned executive on the run probably could not bear to remain another day in custody in the face of Binance’s legal uncertainty. Consequently, as the days go by, Nigerian authorities are adding more charges against the largest cryptocurrency trading house in the world.
For the country’s authorities, the employee’s escape was not funny and, according to Reuters, they were already working with Interpol for the arrest. So far, representatives of the Nigerian authority have not commented to the media. Meanwhile, the detainee’s relatives ask the security forces for restraint.
Anjarwalla’s wife told CNBC that neither he nor Tigran held leadership positions in the company. Thus, he stressed that since the beginning of the dispute the request has been that the employees be released while the country resolved its problems with Binance. The company’s two local executives had been in custody since late February.
The State’s offensive against Binance comes at a time of profound weakness in the national currency, the naira. During the last year, it lost 70% of its value against the United States dollar. In response, citizens are flocking to cryptocurrencies to protect their income.
The Nigerian government has taken strict action against individuals and organizations involved in terrorist financing and money laundering related to the Binance crypto exchange.
There are two factors that exacerbated the government’s hatred of the firm. The first is its inability to control the destination of the funds or how they move on the platform. Secondly, the authorities blame the exchange for destabilizing the currency. In the midst of this heated environment, the aforementioned Binance executive escapes.
By Leonardo Perez
