Nigerian court denies bail to Binance executive – DiarioBitcoin
By Hannah Perez
The executive of Binance, Tigran Gambaryan, will remain detained in Nigeria and awaits an arraignment hearing next week. He has been detained since February and faces money laundering charges.
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- To the executive of BinanceTigran Gambaryan denied bail in Nigeria
- He will continue to be detained pending the reading of charges at an upcoming hearing.
- Gambaryan and his Binance colleague were arrested in February and charged with money laundering
The problems for executives Binance in Nigeria they have not finished.
A court in Nigeria refused to grant bail to the executive of BinanceTigran Gambaryan, head of the cryptocurrency exchange’s Financial Crimes Compliance team, who has been detained in the country since February.
According to a report this Friday published by the Nigerian news agency, The Nation, and quoted by various media, Judge Emeka Nwite of the Federal High Court, agreed with the prosecution’s argument that Gambaryan was a flight risk during a hearing held today.
In this regard, the judge reportedly argued that several factors, including the nature of the crime and its severity, must be considered to decide whether or not to grant bail to the accused, the reports added.
The court also ruled that Binance You may be charged with IRS tax evasion through Gambaryan, depending on coverage.
Awaiting arraignment in Nigeria
Gambaryan was arrested in February by Nigerian authorities along with his colleague, the regional regent of Binance for Africa, Nadeem Anjarwalla. Both traveled to the country to communicate with officials while conducting an investigation into cryptocurrency platforms and amid the problems of Binance in that territory.
They were initially detained without charge, and were later charged, along with the exchange, with tax evasion and money laundering of USD $35 million. Gambaryan was transferred to a prison shortly after Anjarwalla fled the country in early April. A trial on the latest charge began Friday, media reported.
Gambaryan, an American national and former federal agent in the United States, He has pleaded not guilty to the charges against him in Nigeria.
The CEO Binance, Richard Teng, has also spoken out in favor of Gambaryan, supporting his innocence and calling on the Nigerian government to release him. He has said publicly that the executive had no decision-making power over the company.
“We are deeply disappointed that Tigran Gambaryan, who has no decision-making power in the company, remains detained. Tigran has dedicated himself to public service and fighting crime for most of his life. These charges against him are completely unfounded. He should be released as discussions between Binance and Nigerian government officials continue“said a spokesperson for Binance to the media about the latest events.
The Nigerian court has reportedly agreed to adjourn the case until next week for arraignment, where charges will be formally laid against Gambaryan.
Article by Hannah Estefanía Pérez / DailyBitcoin
Picture of Unsplash
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