KEY POINTS
- Nigerian Justice Emeka Nwite reportedly deemed that Gambaryan would "jump bail if granted"
- Nwite said Gambaryan was in the same room with Anjarwalla when the latter fled Nigerian custody
- Binance's CEO has said the crypto giant was working "tirelessly" to bring Gambaryan home
A Nigerian court denied the bail application of Tigran Gambaryan, Binance's chief of financial crime compliance, marking another setback in the crypto executive's bid to defend himself from allegations related to the cryptocurrency exchange titan's alleged tax evasion and non-compliance.
The Federal High Court in Abuja denied Gambaryan's bail application Friday after Justice Emeka Nwite deemed that the Binance executive may not follow through with his trial appearances if his application is granted, local Punch News reported. "I have carefully considered the affidavit evidence before me and I am of the view that the applicant will jump bail if granted," he reportedly said.
Nwite alleged that Gambaryan was within the same room as another Binance executive, Nadeem Anjarwalla, when the latter escaped, but Gambaryan didn't immediately report the incident to the authorities. Gambaryan reportedly said he was sleeping when his colleague fled Nigerian custody.
The compliance expert also supposedly attempted to obtain a new passport, telling the U.S. Embassy that he had supposedly lost his passport, even if his passport had been held by the Nigerian Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
"I truly cannot believe that my innocent husband is now – on his 40th birthday – having to face a trial for charges that he has nothing to do with," Gambaryan's wife, Yuki, told DL News of her husband's bail denial. "The whole world is watching what he is being put through and I just pray that common sense and justice will prevail and that Tigran will be allowed to come home to us," she added.
Binance was charged by the Nigerian government with money laundering some $35.4 million. The world's largest crypto exchange by trading volume is also accused of helping users evade taxes.
Gambaryan and Anjarwalla were detained against their will by Nigerian authorities late in February. Anjarwalla escaped nearly a month after his detention, while Gambaryan remained in custody.
Anjarwalla, Binance's regional manager for Africa, was reportedly arrested by Kenyan Police last month. At the time, local media reported that law enforcement was working to have him extradited to Nigeria.
Binance CEO Richard Teng said earlier this month that his friend was being "unlawfully detained" in Nigeria and the exchange was "tirelessly working to #BringTigranHome." The crypto behemoth has yet to release an official statement regarding Anjarwalla.
My friend and colleague, Tigran Gambaryan, has been unlawfully detained by the Nigerian government for more than 70 days. We're tirelessly working to #BringTigranHome.
— Richard Teng (@_RichardTeng) May 7, 2024
For the first time publicly, I'm sharing the full context of this situation here. ⤵️https://t.co/Rg3DEYJZgW
In a video Gambaryan filmed on March 23, he said he had just learned his colleague had escaped and had "nothing to do with it," but Nigerian authorities would be taking his phone. He reiterated that he has committed no wrongdoing and asked the U.S. government, for which he worked in the past as a federal agent, to help him.
REPORT: American citizen and former US federal agent Tigran Gambaryan is being held hostage in Nigeria as the Biden Administration is nowhere to be seen.
— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) May 9, 2024
Gambaryan, a Binance executive, was lured to Nigeria for a business meeting.
After arriving, Nigerian officials arrested him… pic.twitter.com/pDdd8aSjj6
