Nadeem Anjarwalla, a British and Kenyan national Binance executive, allegedly fled Nigeria in March and has since been detained in Kenya. Reports suggest local authorities may extradite him to Nigeria to face criminal charges. Anjarwalla purportedly escaped Nigerian custody on March 22 using his Kenyan passport.
Anjarwalla’s arrest in Kenya was not verified. He and another Binance executive, Tigran Gambaryan, travelled to Nigeria in February amidst allegations of the exchange manipulating the country’s fiat currency. Both were detained after Binance announced halting naira transactions.
It’s unclear how Anjarwalla escaped from Nigeria. Reports indicate he left Abuja using his Kenyan passport, as only his UK travel documents were seized by authorities.
In Anjarwalla’s absence, Nigerian officials pursued charges against Binance and Gambaryan. Anjarwalla pleaded not guilty to tax evasion and money laundering charges, with the case resuming on April 19.
Gambaryan’s wife initiated a petition seeking his return to the US, claiming he was “an innocent man, a pawn in someone else’s game.” Binance maintained Gambaryan “have no decision-making power in the company” and urged against holding him accountable for the exchange’s Nigerian operations.
Separately, Changpeng Zhao, Binance’s former CEO, faces sentencing in the US on April 30 after pleading guilty to a felony charge. He could receive a prison term of up to 10 years.