Nadeem Anjarwalla, Binance Executive, Escaped From Custody

Nadeem Anjarwalla

One of the two Binance executives being held in Nigeria on suspicion of tax evasion and other charges, Nadeem Anjarwalla, has eluded police custody.

Taking advantage of a trip to a local mosque for Ramadan prayers, 38-year-old Anjarwalla allegedly fled from the Abuja guest house where he and his colleague were being kept on Friday, March 22.

Security sources claim that Anjarwalla, who is dual citizen of Kenya and the United Kingdom, took a Middle Eastern aircraft out of Abuja.

Authorities in Nigeria were confused as to how he obtained a Kenyan passport without any other travel documentation, even though his British passport was in their possession.

The goal of the authorities' present efforts is to apprehend Anjarwalla once more and ascertain his intended destination.

Anjarwalla was only in custody with his British passport, according to an immigration official, which begs the question of how he obtained the Kenyan passport he reportedly used to flee.

Anjarwalla may have used the cellphones he had access to, along with other perks, to plot his escape while he and his companion were reportedly detained in pleasant quarters at a guest home.

Anjarwalla is the regional manager for Africa for Binance. He was arrested on February 26 in Nigeria together with his colleague Tigran Gambaryan, a US citizen in charge of financial crime compliance.

Recall that the two were the subject of a criminal complaint that was brought before an Abuja magistrate court, which resulted in a 14-day remand order from the court.

Binance's remand was prolonged for an additional 14 days as a result of its disobedience to an order to produce Nigerian government data regarding its Nigerian merchants.

The Nigerian government filed new charges on March 22 against Binance Holdings Limited, Anjarwalla, and Gambaryan, alleging that they neglected to register with the Federal Inland Revenue Service and committed tax-related violations.

These events coincide with the Nigerian government's campaign against individuals it believes are financing terrorism and money laundering through the use of websites like Binance.

The Nigerian government has accused Binance of supporting illicit activities that harm the country's economy, including as market manipulation, money laundering, and financing of terrorism.