The Africa Regional Manager of Binance Holdings Limited, Nadeem Anjarwalla (who is currently on the run), filed a lawsuit of violations of fundamental rights against the National Security Adviser and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission. On Wednesday, Justice Inyang Ekwo of the Federal High Court, Abuja, dismissed the case.
In a brief decision, Justice Ekwo closed the lawsuit due to reasons of inadequate prosecution. The judge stated that Anjarwalla’s attorney, Tonye Krukrubo (SAN), had seek to withdraw his attendance in the case on March 28, the day of the prior sitting, and that request was approved.
He stated that the applicant’s attorney did not show up on the day which was scheduled for hearing, the case was then postponed until Wednesday for mention.
In a bid to get out of detention, the Binance CEO and his colleague Tigran Gambaryan filed separate human rights enforcement lawsuits against the NSA and EFCC.
The EFCC and ONSA were sued by the two executives of the crypto-exchange company as first and second respondents in the cases with the marks FHC/ABJ/CS/355/24 and FHC/ABJ/CS/356/24. Olarewanju Adeola, the attorney for the EFCC, refused Kukrubo’s offer to change his client-originating process. Kukrubo made his appearance on Wednesday just for Gambryan.
However, Krukrubo’s appeal to change his application was permitted by Justice Ekwo. He stated that both parties had a legal right to make some changes to their procedures before to judgment.
“I am minded to grant this amendment,” the judge said.
However, the court fined Gambaryan N50,000, which he would pay to the EFCC for raising further problems in the case. According to Justice Ekwo, the fine must be paid by July 9—the next adjourned date for the case.
Anjarwalla and Gambaryan asked in their separate applications for the enforcement of fundamental rights that their arrest and the seizure of their passports for international travel contravened Sections 35 (1) and (4) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended).
They declared that, among other things, the actions violated their constitutionally protected fundamental rights to personal liberty.
Both Anjarwalla and Gambaryan are US citizens who work for the cryptocurrency trade platform Binance. The Federal Inland Revenue Service and the EFCC have charged the duo and their business with tax evasion and money laundlaundering.
They were kept in NSA’s charge when they were first arrested however, on March 22, 2024, Anjarwalla fled from official custody and fled to Kenya.
