It has all the makings of a crypto-criminal thriller: a global digital currency exchange, an (alleged) tax money heist, captured executives, and Nigerian feds hot on their legal pursuit. But today (Mar. 25), the real-life case of Binance and the nation of Nigeria added a new twist to the alleged caper: a high-stakes escape plot.
One of the two executives detained by Nigerian authorities this month has reportedly escaped detention using — what else? — fake travel documents. And the executive’s flight comes just as the the West African nation accelerates its chase — he exits just as the Nigerian government launched new criminal charges against the crypto exchange for tax evasion.
Nadeem Anjarwalla, a British-Kenyan national and Binance’s regional manager for Africa, and Tigran Gambaryan, head of financial-crime compliance at Binance who previously worked at the U.S. Internal Revenue Service (IRS), have been forcefully held in Nigerian custody for weeks. Now, just Gambaryan reportedly remains: Anjarwalla allegedly escaped the detention after he was taken to a mosque on Friday.
According to media reports, Anjarwalla took a Middle Eastern airline from the capital city of Abuja using fake passports and documents. It’s not clear how he did that, considering the Nigerian government was holding his British passport. Nigerian authorities say Anjarwalla escaped custody using a ‘‘smuggled passport.’’ But his family contests that, saying he left the country “by lawful means,” according to media reports.
Binance, Nigeria, and the crypto clash
The tussle between Nigeria and Binance began in February when the country alleged the crypto exchange of destabilizing the national currency, the naira. Binance’s two officials visited the capital city, hoping that they could resolve the issue. Instead, both were taken to Nigeria’s National Security Agency’s guesthouse, where they were held in detention against their wishes.
The West African country, known for being a global crypto hub, has been suffering an economic crisis for some time. Today, it filed a criminal tax evasion charge against the crypto exchange Binance, accusing it of violating tax laws and laundering money.