Nigeria has dropped tax evasion charges against two Binance executives, Tigran Gambaryan and Nadeem Anjarwalla, after the cryptocurrency exchange appointed a local representative to represent it in ongoing court cases.
Following the decision, Binance stated that it awaits the court’s complete discharge of the executives from the cases.
Binance Appoints Local Representative
On June 14, Nigerian authorities dropped tax evasion charges against crypto exchange Binance and its executives, Tigran Gambaryan and Nadeem Anjarwalla.
The move came after Binance appointed a local representative, Ayodele Omotilewa, to represent the company in all court cases.
According to a local report, a Nigerian judge removed the executives from the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) tax evasion case after Omotilewa’s appointment.
Binance has maintained that Gambaryan, a former U.S. federal agent, should not have been detained due to his company role.
Following accusations that U.S. officials failed to assist Gambaryan, House of Representatives members recently demanded his release in a letter to the Biden administration.
The lawmakers urged that Gambaryan’s case be handled by a special envoy for hostage negotiations, enabling the U.S. to employ various tools to secure his release.
It is unclear if the U.S. lawmakers’ letter or one written by former prosecutors and federal agents influenced Nigeria’s decision to drop the charges.
In response to Nigeria’s decision to drop the charges, Binance stated that the action supports its position that Gambaryan is not a senior company executive, and therefore, he should be released.
“[Gambaryan is] not a decision-maker at Binance and does not need to be held in order for Binance to resolve issues with the Nigerian government. We await the court’s ruling on this, discharging Tigran from this matter completely,” the crypto exchange’s spokesperson said.
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