Binance executive Nadeem Anjarwalla who is accused of escaping from custody in Nigeria has been traced to Kenya.
The Nigerian Government on April 13, 2024, officially confirmed that the British-Kenyan dual national had been traced to the country indicating that he was already in hiding.
Nigeria’s Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) had charged Binance and its executives for $35,400,000 (Ksh4.6 billion) money laundering.
A source close to the Presidency in Nigeria told the country’s local news outlet that a joint operation had already been launched to quicken Anjarwalla’s extradition.
The operation according to the source involves EFCC, the International Criminal Police (INTERPOL), the Nigeria Police Force, and the Kenyan Police Service.
“We have found him. We know where he is. He is in Kenya, and we’re working with the authorities to bring him back to Nigeria,” revealed a source.
EFCC Chairman, Ola Olukoyede, had in March also confirmed that the commission was working in conjunction with INTERPOL, US FBI and other governments including Kenya to extradite Anjarwalla.
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The British- Kenyan national together with Binance Holdings Limited and fellow executive Tigran Gambaryan face five-count charges by EFCC.
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Binance Executives Arrested
Nadeem Anjarwalla was reported to have escaped from custody in Nigeria in March following his arrest together with his US colleague Tigran Gambaryan.
Anjarwalla who is the company’s Africa regional manager, and Gambaryan who oversees financial crime compliance at the firm, were arrested on 26 February 2024.
According to a statement from Nigerian police, their detention came as the Nigerian authorities investigated alleged wrongdoing by Binance Holdings Limited.
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They were put in custody after attending meetings in Nigeria’s capital, Abuja, following an invite by the government which demanded that they name Nigerians trading on their platform.
“The country is now “working with Interpol for an international arrest warrant on the suspect”, the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) said in a statement.
However, a family source denied the claims reported by authorities that Anjarwalla fled the country with a “smuggled passport”, in turn saying that the executive left the country by “by lawful means”.
Cryptocurrency exchange Binance is one of the largest cryptocurrency companies in the world in terms of daily trading volume of crypto.
