Nadeem Anjarwalla, a prominent executive of cryptocurrency exchange Binance, has managed to escape custody in Nigeria, where he was detained amidst allegations of tax evasion and other offenses.
Anjarwalla, 38, reportedly fled from a guest house in Abuja on Friday, 22 March, where he and his colleague were being held.
According to sources familiar with the matter, the escape occurred when guards on duty escorted him to a nearby mosque for prayers as part of the ongoing Ramadan fast.
Anjarwalla, who holds both British and Kenyan citizenship, is believed to have departed from Abuja using a Middle Eastern airliner, despite his British passport remaining in the custody of Nigerian authorities.
The exact manner in which he managed to board an international flight is still unclear, raising questions about security protocols and potential lapses in immigration procedures.
Authorities are now scrambling to ascertain Anjarwalla’s intended destination and initiate efforts to apprehend him and bring him back into custody.
It has been revealed that Anjarwalla fled using a Kenyan passport, although the circumstances under which he obtained it remain under investigation.
Sources close to the matter disclosed that Anjarwalla and his colleague were held in a “comfortable guest house” and were granted various privileges, including the use of telephones.
It is believed that Anjarwalla exploited these privileges to orchestrate his escape.
The escape comes amidst a legal battle between Binance executives and Nigerian authorities. Anjarwalla and Tigran Gambaryan, another executive, were detained upon their arrival in Nigeria on 26 February 2024, and a criminal charge was filed against them before a Magistrate Court in Abuja.
The court granted the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) an order to remand the duo for 14 days, later extended for an additional 14 days.
Furthermore, the Nigerian government has slapped multiple charges against Binance Holdings Limited, Anjarwalla, and Gambaryan, accusing them of tax evasion and failure to comply with regulatory requirements.
The detention and legal proceedings against Binance officials come in the wake of the exchange platform’s settlement of criminal money laundering charges in the United States, further complicating the ongoing saga surrounding the cryptocurrency giant.
