Nigerian court postpones another Binance case to May 17

Binance and detained exec Tigran Gambaryan may face three court appearances on May 17 after the most recent adjournment pushed another Nigerian trial back

by Katherine Ross /

May 2, 2024 12:48 pm

remotevfx.com/Shutterstock modified by Blockworks

The money laundering trial against Binance and two of its executives — Tigran Gambaryan and Nadeem Anjarwalla — was delayed until May 17.

The postponement was confirmed to Blockworks by a family spokesperson for Gambaryan, who’s been detained in the country since late February.

The postponement is just the latest development in a series of delays for Gambaryan, who was sent — by a Nigerian court — to the Kuje Correctional facility. The notorious prison was attacked as part of a jailbreak by the Islamic State two years ago.

Thursday’s adjournment, which specifically focuses on the money laundering charges, pushed the court date back. Binance, Anjarwalla and Gambaryan also face a second trial — this time for tax evasion — which was delayed to May 17 back in April.

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The decision came after a lawyer for Binance said they had not yet been served with documents necessary for case preparation, according to Reuters.

Gambaryan’s bail hearing is also set for May 17.

Binance didn’t immediately return a request for comment.

Earlier this week, Garba Umar of Interpol Africa said that his agency had paperwork for Anjarwalla and was working on it. However, a red notice — which tells law enforcement that an individual is wanted for arrest — has not yet been issued for Anjarwalla, according to Interpol’s site.

“The process is ongoing,” Umar told a local TV station on Tuesday.

The relationship between Binance and Nigeria deteriorated earlier this year, and the crypto exchange has since ended support for the Nigerian Naira. Nigeria, on the other hand, threatened fines against Binance after it claimed that $26 billion passed through Binance Nigeria.

The company has previously said that the executives have “no decision-making power in the company.” A spokesperson called the decision to send Gambaryan to Kuje “outrageous.”

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