Personnel guarding escaped Nadeem Anjarwalla arrested
The personnel responsible for the custody of Nadeem Anjarwalla, a suspect in the ongoing criminal probe into the activities of Binance in Nigeria, who escaped from detention have been arrested, while a thorough investigation is ongoing to unravel the circumstances that led to his escape from lawful detention.
Penpushing reports that Head of Strategic Communication at the Office of the National Security Adviser, Zakari Mijinyawa, made this known as he confirmed that the suspect escaped Nigeria using a smuggled passport.
“Preliminary investigation shows that Mr Anjarwalla fled Nigeria using a smuggled passport. The personnel responsible for the custody of the suspect have been arrested, and a thorough investigation is ongoing to unravel the circumstances that led to his escape from lawful detention’,Mijinyawa said.
‘Recall that the Federal Government of Nigeria, like other governments around the world, has been investigating money laundering and terrorism financing transactions perpetrated on the Binance currency exchange platform’, the statement added.
Penpushing further reports that the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA), on Monday in the statement said upon receiving a report of Anjarwalla’s escape, the office took immediate steps, in conjunction with relevant security agencies, MDAs, as well as the international community, to apprehend the suspect.
The Head of Strategic Communication disclosed that security agencies are working with Interpol for an international arrest warrant on the38-year-old suspect who escaped on Friday March 22, 2024 after he was led him to a nearby mosque for prayers in the spirit of the ongoing Ramadan fast.
Penpushing also reports that Anjarwalla until his escape holds British and Kenyan nationalities and serves as Binance’s Africa regional manager, and was being tried in Nigerian courts, while he was scheduled to appear before the court again on April 4,2024 before his controversial escape.
The Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA), in the statement, however, urge the Nigerian public and the international community to provide whatever information they have that can assist law enforcement agencies to apprehend the suspect
Penpushing reports that the Nigerian government had, in the past three months, been cracking down on suspected money launderers and terrorism financiers, some of whom it alleged are using the Binance platform for criminal activities
The government disclosed that over $21.6 billion was traded by Nigerians whose identities were concealed by Binance, adding that investigations revealed that unscrupulous elements were using Binance for money laundering, terrorist financing, currency speculation and market manipulation, distorting the Nigerian economy and weakening the Naira against other currencies
Penpushing reports that detention of Binance officials in Nigeria started months after the crypto exchange platform pleaded guilty and agreed to pay $4.3 billion to settle criminal money laundering charges levied by the United States of America (USA) Department of Justice.
The Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Binance Changpeng Zhao, also known as CZ, pleaded guilty and agreed to resign, while his criminal trial has been postponed to 30 April, 2024 by a United States of America (USA) court.
Penpushing further reports that the Nigerian Government on Monday, equally initiated criminal proceedings against Binance, and among the charges are allegations of non-payment of Value-Added Tax (VAT), Company Income Tax, failure to file tax returns, and complicity in aiding customers to evade taxes through its platform.
Meanwhile, the Nigerian government in similar development alleged that Binance failed to register with the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) for tax purposes and contravened existing tax regulations in the country.
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