Nigerian Court Rejects Human Rights Lawsuit Filed by Binance Executive Nadeem Anjarwalla

Nadeem Anjarwalla, an executive at Binance, faced a major setback in Nigeria when a federal high court dismissed his human rights lawsuit against the National Security Adviser and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission.

What transpired was primarily due to Anjarwalla not having legal representation after his lawyer withdrew from the case. Anjarwalla, who holds both British and Kenyan citizenship, escaped from Nigerian custody on March 28th due to concerns about Binance’s operations in the country.

According to Nairametrics, Binance’s lawyer, Tonye Krukrubo, requested to withdraw from the case to allow Anjarwalla to seek new representation. By that time, Anjarwalla had already fled to Kenya. The court then adjourned proceedings until June 19th to give Anjarwalla time to appoint new legal representatives.

Meanwhile, Tigran Gambaryan, another executive at Binance, remains detained at Kuje Prison in Nigeria. He is facing charges related to money laundering and has been denied bail by the court, which sees him as a flight risk. Despite the Federal Inland Revenue Service dropping charges against him, the Nigerian government continues to discuss regulatory issues with Binance.

Anjarwalla asserted that Nigerian government entities violated Section 35 (1) and (4) of the Constitution. He claimed that his unlawful detention was causing immense suffering to him, his wife, children, and other family members.

Justice Ekwo dismissed the human rights case due to a lack of diligent prosecution. The court has scheduled July 9th for the hearing of Gambaryan’s lawsuit.

This situation has created tension between the US and Nigeria, with the potential for US government intervention in Gambaryan’s case. FBI Director Christopher Wray recently met with Nigeria’s President, sparking discussions about diplomatic efforts to secure Gambaryan’s release. US lawmakers have been vocal in demanding Gambaryan’s freedom, criticizing Nigeria’s actions as baseless and coercive attempts to pressure Binance.

However, Binance maintains that Gambaryan does not hold a significant decision-making role within the company and argues against his continued detention while negotiations with Nigerian authorities are ongoing.

Tags: Binance