- Nigerian authorities are pursuing Binance executives for currency devaluation.
- Contrasting legal outcomes raised questions about fairness in treatment.
Just as Binance’s [BNB] founder made headlines for a 4-month prison sentence on money laundering charges, Nigeria intensified its pursuit of two Binance officers from Africa.
On February 2024, Nadeem Anjarwalla, Binance’s regional head for Africa, and his colleague, Binance’s Chief Financial Crime Compliance Officer Tigran Gambaryan, faced accusations for allegedly facilitating the devaluation of the Naira (Nigeria’s official currency).
The reason behind Binance head’s escape
Despite being invited for discussions to resolve tensions, their visit took an unexpected turn. Detained by security agencies, they were pushed into a legal mess, prompting Anjarwalla’s daring escape.
This incident ignited a global pursuit, escalating concerns about the intersection of cryptocurrency and international law enforcement.
Remarking on the same, Mr. Gabra Omar, Vice President of the Interpol Africa Executive Committee on Extradition in a recent conversation with Sunrise Daily noted,
“As soon as this individual escaped, there was a massive manhunt for this individual.”
He added,
“We have done that to make sure that he doesn’t escape justice…one day he will be brought to justice. It’s just a matter of time.”
The dichotomy of punishments
However, in an unexpected twist, former Binance CEO Changpeng Zhao received a four-month prison sentence, contrary to the Department of Justice’s expectation of at least three years.
In contrast, Sam Bankman-Fried, FTX’s founder, faced a severe downfall, resulting in a 25-year prison term for fraud.
This juxtaposition highlighted potential disparities in the legal treatment of prominent figures in the cryptocurrency world.
Interpol’s VP confident in extradition efforts
Nigeria’s proactive stance against money laundering and terrorism financing in the crypto sphere isn’t a recent development.
The recent freeze of more than 1,100 accounts by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) underlines this commitment.
Furthermore, the potential extension of the crypto crackdown to platforms such as Bybit, KuCoin, and OKX underscores Nigeria’s ongoing efforts in this regard.
Ergo, Omar is confident in the extradition of Binance’s Anjarwalla, claiming,
“You hide, we smoke you out!”
