Nadeem Anjarwalla, a dual citizen of Britain and Kenya, who is employed at the cryptocurrency exchange Binance, has reportedly been apprehended in Kenya after escaping from Nigeria in March.
Reports from various Kenyan news outlets on April 22 indicate that local law enforcement arrested Anjarwalla and there is a possibility that he will be extradited to Nigeria to face criminal charges. Anjarwalla allegedly 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 independently verify the reports of Anjarwalla’s arrest in Kenya. Anjarwalla 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 by authorities after Binance announced its decision to halt all naira transactions.
The exact details of Anjarwalla’s escape from Nigeria remain unclear. Some reports suggest that he was able to board a plane out of Abuja, the capital of Nigeria, using his Kenyan passport, as only his UK travel documents were confiscated by authorities.
In Anjarwalla’s absence, Nigerian officials have proceeded with charges against Binance and Gambaryan. Anjarwalla has pleaded not guilty to accusations of tax evasion and money laundering, and the case was brought back to court on April 19 following 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 claimed that Gambaryan had no decision-making authority within the company and has requested that he not be held accountable for the exchange’s actions in Nigeria.
Meanwhile, Changpeng Zhao, the former CEO of Binance, is scheduled to be sentenced in the United States on April 30 in a separate case after pleading guilty to one felony charge. He potentially faces up to 10 years in prison.
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