Court Summons CBN Governor, Legal Head Over Money Laundering Case Against Binance Executives

The Federal High Court in Abuja has issued a subpoena compelling the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and the Head of the Legal Services Department of the apex bank to appear before it with specific documents on Monday, September 2, 2024.

This directive was linked to the ongoing money laundering case against Binance Holdings Limited and two of its top executives.

The court, presided over by Justice Emeka Nwite, initially scheduled the continuation of the trial for October 11, 2024. However, the defence counsel successfully requested a change of date, prompting the court to advance the trial by a month.

The case, brought by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), accused Binance USA’s Head of Financial Crime Compliance, Tigran Gambaryan, and the exchange’s British-Kenyan regional manager for Africa, Nadeem Anjarwalla, of money laundering involving $35 million.

Gambaryan is currently detained at the Kuje Correctional Facility, having been transferred from the custody of the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) and subsequently the EFCC. Anjarwalla, however, fled lawful custody on March 22, 2024, and remains at large.

The subpoena, referenced as charge number FHC/ABCR/138/2024, commands the CBN officials to bring specific documents to court.

The document, addressed to the CBN Governor, said: “You or any other officer you may delegate are commanded in the name of the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria to attend before the Federal High Court, Abuja Judicial Division, presided over by the Honourable Justice E. Nwite, on the 2nd day of September 2024 at 9 o’clock in the forenoon, and from day to day until the above cause is tried, to bring with you and produce at the time and place mentioned the following documents.”

The specific document requested is the Certified True Copy of the excel spreadsheet captioned “Export Exchange Rate Results,” which was published on the CBN’s website covering the period from June 1, 2024, to August 16, 2024.

Similarly, a subpoena was issued to the Head of the CBN’s Legal Services Department, requiring their appearance and the production of the same document in court.

Recently, Yuki Gambaryan, wife of the detained Binance Executive in Nigeria, demanded the immediate release of her husband, Gambaryan, whose health she said has deteriorated in detention.

Also, a Federal High Court in Abuja ordered a bench (arrest) warrant for Abraham Ehizojie, a medical doctor at the health facility of the Kuje Correctional Centre over his non-compliance to provide the medical report of  Gambaryan.

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