EFCC Gives Fresh Update On Fugitive Binance Executive

EFCC has given a fresh update on fugitive Binance Executive.

NaijaOnPoint Nigeria reports that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) will, on Thursday, arraign Tigran Gambaryan and Nadeem Anjarwalla, two top officials of Binance Holdings Ltd, on five counts of money laundering charges.

This Nigeria news platform gathered on Tuesday that Mr Gambaryan and Mr Anjarwalla, who escaped from lawful custody on March 22 and fled Nigeria, will be arraigned before Justice Emeka Nwite of the Abuja Division of the Federal High Court.

The crypto exchange firm and Messrs Gambaryan and Anjarwalla are listed as the first to third defendants, respectively. But Mr Anjarwalla, who the EFCC describes as “at large” in the counts, is expected to be arraigned in absentia.

The anti-graft agency filed a charge on March 28, accusing the trio of money laundering totalling $35,400,000.

Count one accused the defendants between January 2023 and January 2024 in Abuja of carrying on the specialised business of other financial institutions without a valid licence.

The offence is said to be contrary to sections 57(1) and (2) of the Banks and Other Financial Institutions Act, 2020 and punishable under section 57(5) of the same act.

Also, the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) will arraign Binance Holdings Limited, Mr Gambaryan, and fleeing Mr Anjarwalla on April 4 on allegations bordering on tax evasion.