Nadeem Anjarwalla, a citizen of both Britain and Kenya, who is employed at the cryptocurrency exchange Binance, has allegedly been detained in Kenya after escaping from Nigeria in March.
According to reports from various Kenyan news outlets on April 22, local law enforcement apprehended Anjarwalla and there is a possibility that he will be extradited to Nigeria to face criminal charges. Anjarwalla managed to flee custody in Nigeria on March 22 by utilizing his Kenyan passport after being taken to a mosque for prayers.
Cointelegraph was unable to verify the reports of Anjarwalla’s arrest in Kenya. He initially traveled to Nigeria in February with another Binance executive, Tigran Gambaryan, following allegations that the exchange had manipulated the country’s fiat currency, the naira. Both individuals were detained after Binance announced its intention to halt all naira transactions.
The method by which Anjarwalla escaped from Nigeria remains unclear. It has been suggested that he was able to board a plane out of Abuja, Nigeria’s capital, using his Kenyan passport, as only his UK travel documents were confiscated by authorities.
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In Anjarwalla’s absence, Nigerian officials have proceeded with charges against the exchange and Gambaryan. The Binance executive has pleaded not guilty to charges of tax evasion and money laundering, with the case returning to court on April 19 after a short adjournment.
Gambaryan’s wife has launched a petition to bring him back to the United States, asserting that he is “an innocent man, a pawn in someone else’s game.” Binance has stated that he had no decision-making authority within the company and has requested that he not be held accountable for the exchange’s activities in Nigeria.
Changpeng Zhao, the former CEO of Binance, is expected to be sentenced in the United States on April 30 in a separate case after pleading guilty to one felony charge. He could potentially face a maximum of 10 years in prison.
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