Nadeem Anjarwalla, a detained Binance executive in Nigeria accused of tax evasion among other charges, has allegedly fled custody. Reports from Premium Times indicate that the 38-year-old escaped on Friday, March 22, 2024, from an Abuja guest house where he was being held.
The escape occurred after guards took him to a nearby mosque for prayers, honoring the Ramadan fast. Anjarwalla, who holds British and Kenyan citizenship, is suspected to have left Abuja on a flight operated by a Middle Eastern airline.
The circumstances of Mr. Anjarwalla’s boarding of an international flight remain uncertain, especially since his British passport, used to enter Nigeria, was held by Nigerian authorities.
Efforts are underway to determine his planned destination to facilitate his return to custody. According to an immigration official cited in the report, the Binance executive left Nigeria using a Kenyan passport.
However, it is unclear how he acquired this passport, as he reportedly had no other travel documents besides his British passport.
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Sources indicate that both officials were staying in a “comfortable guest house” where they enjoyed several privileges, including access to telephones, which Anjarwalla allegedly used to orchestrate his escape.
Nadeem Anjarwalla, Binance’s Africa Regional Manager, and Tigran Gambaryan, a US citizen responsible for overseeing financial crime compliance at the cryptocurrency exchange platform, were detained upon their arrival in Nigeria on February 26, 2024.
The Nigerian government has filed criminal charges against the two executives before a Magistrate Court in Abuja.
On February 28, 2024, the court granted the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) an order to hold the pair for 14 days. Additionally, the court ordered Binance to supply the Nigerian government with data/information regarding Nigerians who trade on its platform.
