Binance Executive who Escaped Detention in Nigeria traced to Kenya

The Nigerian government has confirmed that Binance executive, British-Kenyan Nadeem Anjarwalla Nadeem Anjarwalla, who recently escaped detention in Nigeria, has been traced to Kenya and faces extradition.

According to reports by local media outlets, the Kenya Police Service has arrested fugitive Nadeem Anjarwalla, and Nigerian authorities have asked Kenya to extradite him to Nigeria within the week.

Per  TechCabal, a detective with the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI), who requested to remain anonymous, informed the foremost tech publication in Africa that the DCI has received a request to extradite Nadeem Anjarwalla from Nigeria but has yet to take action. The detective further revealed extradition is a process, and you cannot just walk in and arrest him based on the request.

Also, Nadeem Anjarwalla, the son of Atiq Anjarwalla, a senior partner at Anjarwalla & Khanna Advocates, one of the largest commercial law firms in East Africa, comes from a very influential family and has the backing of some powerful people. The law firm, Anjarwalla & Khanna Advocates, represents a list of high-net-worth individuals and some of the top organizations in the region.

The arrest of both executives came after the Nigerian government decided to ban cryptocurrency exchange platforms operating in the West African nation as part of its plan to curb currency speculation. In the process, the court mandated Binance to give access to the data and details of Nigerian users on the platform to the government of Nigeria.

The 37-year-old British-Kenyan regional manager for Binance in Africa was arrested and detained along with his colleague Tigran Gambaryan, a 39-year-old U.S. citizen serving as head of financial crime compliance, on February 28 when they arrived in Nigeria to discuss the government’s decision to block Binance.

They both were charged with four counts of tax evasion and allegations of over $35 million in money laundering. While in detention, it was reported that Nadeem escaped from the Abuja guest house and fled to Kenya before he was arraigned.

Nigeria’s Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) has accused the Binance executives of failing to register the crypto exchange with it for tax purposes. This was disclosed in court by FIRS: Binance failed to deduct value-added tax (VAT) and aided users in evading taxes through its cryptocurrency exchange platform. Binance and its executives have denied the claims.

Meanwhile, Anjarwalla’s arrest and extradition process might delay the court case in Nigeria, as the process of sending a Kenyan to face trial for crimes committed in another country is complicated.

This is because Kenya's extradition laws state that a Nigerian court must issue an arrest warrant to be forwarded to Nairobi's attorney general or request a red notice through the International Criminal Police Organization, commonly known as Interpol, an international organization that promotes global police cooperation and crime control.

After his arrest, the Kenyan police must seek the consent of a court, a process that takes a very long time, as it could take months or possibly years.

Gambrayan, who is still in Nigerian custody and was present in an Abuja court on Friday, has pleaded not guilty to money laundering charges, and his case has been adjourned to May 17 because the exchange had not yet been formally served with the charges.

Binance and its executives who also face charges of money laundering by Nigeria’s anti-graft agency, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), will resume the next trial on May 2.

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