Nadeem Anjarwalla, a key figure at Binance, evaded custody in Nigeria amidst allegations of tax evasion, stirring a whirlwind of controversy.
The 38-year-old executive managed to flee from an Abuja guest house on Friday, 22 March, capitalizing on a momentary lapse during the ongoing Ramadan fast.
Reports suggest Anjarwalla, who holds British and Kenyan citizenship, exploited his privileges, escaping via a Middle East-bound flight.
However, the mystery deepens as authorities grapple with how he boarded an international flight sans his British passport, which remained under Nigerian custody.
Investigators are piecing together clues to ascertain his whereabouts and reapprehend him.
Anjarwalla’s flight comes amidst legal proceedings initiated by the Nigerian government against him and Tigran Gambaryan, another Binance executive, over alleged tax irregularities.
The Nigerian government initiated legal proceedings against the two executives in a Magistrate Court in Abuja.
On February 28, 2024, the court granted the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) an order to detain the duo for 14 days.
Additionally, the court mandated Binance to furnish the Nigerian government with data on Nigerian traders using its platform.
When Binance refused to comply, the court extended the executives’ detention for another 14 days to safeguard evidence integrity, adjourning the case until April 4, 2024.
Subsequently, on March 22, the Nigerian government took the matter to the Federal High Court in Abuja, accusing Binance Holdings Limited, Anjarwalla, and Gambaryan of multiple charges, including failure to register with the Federal Inland Revenue Service and issue invoices for value-added taxes.
