Binance’s Detained Executive Escaped Nigerian Authorities With a Fake Passport

(CTN News) – It has all the hallmarks of a Binance crypto-criminal thriller: a global digital currency exchange, a (alleged) tax money heist, captured executives, and Nigerian federal agents hot on their heels.

However, today we have seen a new twist in the alleged caper involving Binance and Nigeria: a high-stakes escape plan.

According to reports, one of the two executives detained by Nigerian authorities this month managed to escape detention by utilizing – what else? False travel documents.

It is ironic that executive fled as the West African nation is intensifying its legal pursuit; on the same day the alleged escape was reported, the Nigerian government announced new criminal charges against the crypto exchange for tax evasion.

Nadeem Anjarwalla, a British-Kenyan national and regional manager for Africa, and Tigran Gambaryan, Binance’s head of financial crime compliance who previously worked at the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), have been held in prison in Nigeria for several weeks.

The only person left in detention is Gambaryan: Anjarwalla was taken to a mosque on Friday where he escaped detention.

As reported in the media, Anjarwalla traveled from Abuja to London on a Middle Eastern airline using false passports and identification documents.

Given that the Nigerian government held his British passport, it is unclear how he accomplished this. The Nigerian authorities claim that Anjarwalla escaped custody with a smuggled passport. According to media reports, his family disputes that claim, saying that he left the country “lawfully.”

Nigeria, Binance, and the crypto conflict

Nigeria and Binance have been engaged in a tussle since February after the country accused Binance of destabilizing the naira, the national currency. There was hope that Binance’s two officials could resolve the issue by visiting the capital city.

However, both were taken to the guesthouse of Nigeria’s National Security Agency, where they were held in detention against their will.

The West African country, which is known for being a global crypto hub, has been experiencing an economic crisis for some time. A criminal tax evasion charge was filed against the crypto exchange Binance today, accusing it of violating tax laws and laundering funds.

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