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Currently detained in Nigeria, Binance executive Tigran Gambaryan collapsed during his trial at the Federal High Court in Abuja. He faces charges of foreign exchange violations and money laundering brought by the Nigerian Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). According to local reports, Gambaryan’s legal representative Mark Mordi informed the court on May 22 that his client had been unwell since the previous hearing date and continued to have health issues.
Executive Collapses During Trial
Gambaryan had previously missed a separate court appearance on the same day for tax evasion charges brought by the Nigerian Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS). However, he did appear for the money laundering charges. During the money laundering court proceedings, the court clerk called the case, but Gambaryan did not respond and remained seated in the back row. Judge Emeka Nwite noticed his absence and requested an explanation. In response, Gambaryan’s defense attorney assisted him to the dock.
However, Gambaryan suddenly collapsed and requested his lawyer’s help to sit in the front row. Mordi explained that his client was unwell and had submitted a written application to inform the court of his condition. Due to Gambaryan’s sudden collapse, Mordi requested a postponement for his client’s medical treatment.
Mordi emphasized that continuing the trial under these circumstances would be untenable. The court then scheduled cross-examination and hearings for June 20 and 21. Previously, the judge had denied Gambaryan’s bail request on May 16, citing concerns from the EFCC that he posed a flight risk if released from Kuje Prison, where he is currently held.
What’s Happening on the Binance Front?
Gambaryan was transferred to Kuje Prison in Abuja in April 2024 after admitting to money laundering charges brought by the EFCC. In March, FIRS charged Binance and its executives Gambaryan and Nadeem Anjarwalla with tax evasion. The charges included failing to register with FIRS, not paying corporate income tax, not paying value-added tax, and facilitating tax evasion.
The Nigerian government accused the cryptocurrency exchange of affecting exchange rates and called for stricter regulation of crypto trading platforms. Binance CEO Richard Teng recently claimed in a statement that Nigerian officials tried to coerce Binance representatives into a secret deal payable in cryptocurrency during meetings in early 2024.
On March 5, Binance announced it would halt all Nigerian naira transactions and effectively exit the market. Binance also stated that its peer-to-peer trading platform delisted all Nigerian naira trading pairs at the end of February.
