In a new turn of events, Binance executive Nadeem Anjarwalla who was once detained in Nigeria, has had his lawsuit against the country’s National Security Adviser dismissed.
Nigerian Authorities Detains 2 Binance Staff
A Nigerian court in Abuja overturned the human rights suit filed against the Nigerian authorities by Anjarwalla. The court led by Justice Inyang Ekwo stated that Anjarwalla lacked legal representation, hence the dismissal. It is worth noting that the Binance staff’s Nigerian lawyer, Tonye Krukrubo, withdrew his representation after he escaped custody a few months ago.
Markedly, Anjarwalla is the regional Africa Head for Binance, serving together with Tigran Gambaryan, who heads Binance’s Financial Crime Compliance. They were both arrested by the Nigerian authorities in February after a meeting that was meant to bring an end to regulatory disputes between Binance and the country’s officials.
While bail applications has been consistently denied, the tax fraud charges against the individuals was recently dropped as reported earlier by Crypto-Vanguard.
Binance was not the only exchange affected by Nigeria’s clamp down on crypto. However, it appears to have been singled out amongst its counterparts for public rebuke.
The Nigerian authorities accused the leading cryptocurrency exchange of currency manipulation and illicit transactions. It is worth noting that at the time the charges were brought up, the fiat currency of the West African nation (Naira) was experiencing a sharp devaluation in relation to the dollar.
Binance Executives Sue Nigerian Authorities
Rather than pursue another settlement, Anjarwalla decided to sue Nuhu Ribadu, Nigeria’s National Security Adviser (NSA)
The country’s anti-graft agency, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) was also listed in the lawsuit for human rights abuse. For context, he claimed to have been mistreated during detention. A violation of due process rights was part of the special allegations brought up against the Defendants.
Meanwhile, Gambaryan also sued Ribadu and the EFCC, but he is still waiting for his day in court. His hearing has been adjourned to July 9 but his lawyer was levied with a 50,000 naira fine – approximately $33 – for requesting to amend the suit.
Anjarwalla later fled Nigeria after escaping custody and it is suspected that he used a concealed passport to achieve this feat.
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