A Binance executive who fled detention in Nigeria has reportedly been arrested in Kenya and is expected to be extradited to Nigeria “this week.”
According to an anonymous Nigerian government source quoted by a local publication: punch“He was arrested in Kenya and will be extradited to Nigeria this week,” said Binance Regional Manager Nadeem Anjarwalla.
It is reported that Nigeria’s Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), the International Criminal Police, the Nigerian Police, and the Kenya Police Service are discussing the issue of Anjarwala’s repatriation to Nigeria.
Anjarwalla, a British Kenyan, escaped detention in Nigeria in March using a concealed passport.
He and his colleague Tigran Gambaryan, Binance’s head of financial crimes compliance, were detained in Nigeria in February after visiting the country to meet government officials as part of an investigation into the cryptocurrency exchange.
As part of the investigation, Nigeria required Binance to provide information about the country’s top users and their recent transaction history.
Anjarwalla and Gambaryan were detained without charge by the EFCC for 14 days following a court order. Nigerian officials then voted to extend the detention period.
On March 22, Anjarwalla reportedly escaped detention after being allowed to visit a local mosque for prayers under guard. Nigeria’s Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) indicted Binance executives on tax evasion charges on the same day. A week later, the EFCC charged Binance, Anjarwalla, and Gambaryan with money laundering amounting to $34 million.
Gambarian, a U.S. citizen, remains in Nigeria and was jailed pending trial in May. He sued the Nigerian government for illegal detention, and his wife Yuki claimed he was being subjected to “blackmail”.
Binance said in a statement that discussions between the exchange and Nigerian authorities were “ongoing,” adding that Gambarian had not violated any Nigerian laws and had “no decision-making authority within the company.”
Edited by Stacy Elliott.