The Nigerian government has tracked down Binance executive Nadeem Arjarwalla to Kenya after his escape from custody and is now taking steps for his extradition. According to the local media outlet Punch, presidential sources revealed that Arjarwalla hid as soon as he arrived in Kenya, but his identity was later exposed. Kenya’s attempt to extradite the Binance executive could open a new chapter in the process.
Unrest Continues in Nigeria
The Nigerian government is collaborating with international security organizations such as Interpol and the Kenyan police to bring Arjarwalla back to the country to face charges. Gambaryan, along with Binance executive Nadeem Anjarwalla, arrived in Nigeria in February following allegations that the exchange manipulated the country’s fiat currency, the naira. Arjarwalla was detained along with another Binance executive following a meeting with the Nigerian government about Binance’s regulatory issues.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) took over the investigation from the National Security Adviser (NSA). The anti-corruption agency accused the exchange and its two executives of five charges bordering on money laundering. However, it was reported that Anjarwalla escaped custody on March 22 and managed to board a plane from the capital Abuja.
It was reported that Anjarwalla flew from Abuja with an airline company based in the Middle East, but it is unclear how he boarded the international flight as his British passport used to enter Nigeria was under the supervision of Nigerian authorities.
What Happened in the Process?
According to an immigration official, Binance executive escaped from Nigeria to Kenya using a Kenyan passport, and authorities are now trying to determine how Anjarwalla obtained this passport while in custody without any other travel documents. While Arjarwalla remains abroad, Gambaryan, along with his wife and other supporters, called for his release after being detained for several weeks, denying the charges. Gambaryan’s wife started a petition to bring him back to the USA, which had 3,373 signatures at the time of publication. However, Gambaryan’s case has been postponed to April 19.
Binance announced on March 5 that it planned to halt all naira transactions and effectively withdraw from the Nigerian market for its users. Binance also noted that its peer-to-peer platform on the exchange delisted all NGN trading pairs at the end of February.
On February 27, the governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria claimed that crypto exchanges in Nigeria were suspected of conducting illegal transactions and pointed to suspicious fund flows on Binance.
