Binance Executive Files Lawsuit Demanding Apology for Detention by Nigerian Authorities

A Binance Executive, Tigran Gambaryan, has petitioned the Federal High Court Abuja to compel the Office of the National Security Adviser (NSA) and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to issue an apology to him for his detention in the country.

Gambaryan revealed this in his Fundamental Rights lawsuit marked FHC/ABJ/CS/356/2024, alleging that the federal government is using his prolonged detention “as leverage to continue making demands on Binance.”

Binance Executive Takes Action Against Nigerian Authorities.

In the grounds of his application, the applicant’s legal representative, T.J. Krukrubo SAN, explained to the court that his client, an American citizen, visited Nigeria on February 26, 2024, along with Nadeem Anjarwalla, solely to attend a meeting with government officials as representatives of Binance, upon invitation by Mr. Saad Abubakar of the NSA and Mr. Olalekan Ogunjobi of the EFCC.

Krukrubo further elaborated that following the meeting, Gambaryan, who is not a board member of Binance, was detained and has since not been released.

The lawsuit, seen by Business Elites, states:

“The Applicant and Nadeem Anjarwalla dutifully attended the meeting. However, after the meeting on 26th February 2024, the Applicant and Nadeem Anjarwalla were detained by the Respondents and have remained in detention since then. 

The Applicant did not commit any offence during the meeting with the 1st Respondent neither has he been informed in writing of any offence he personally committed in Nigeria at any other time. 

The only reason for his detention is because the government is requesting information from Binance and making demands on the company. The Applicant is not a member of the Board of Directors of Binance. 

The only reason for the continued detention of the Applicant by the Respondents is merely for the purpose of being used as leverage to continue making demands on Binance. 

The Respondents, being agents of the Federal Government of Nigeria, have a channel of communication to request information and make demands on Binance without the necessity of detaining the Applicant, who only dutifully attended a meeting with the Respondents.”

The applicant argued that Binance “is committed to honouring any reasonable requests for data by law enforcement agencies globally, and specifically Nigeria.

Whereby Binance has supported Nigerian law enforcement agencies since 2020, having responded to more than 600 requests for information by Nigerian authorities, resulting in substantial seizures/recoveries.”

The applicant sought the following orders:

A Declaration that the detention of the Applicant by the Respondents and seizure of his international travel passport contravenes Section 35 (1) and (4) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (As Amended) and amounts to a violation of the Applicant’s fundamental right to personal liberty guaranteed by the Constitution.

An order of this Honourable Court directing the Respondents to release the Applicant from their Custody and return his international travel passport with immediate effect.

An order of perpetual injunction restraining the Respondents, either by themselves or through their officers and agents, from further detaining the Applicant in relation to any investigation into or demands from Binance.

Allegations of Government Pressure on Cryptocurrency Exchange.

An order for the Respondents to issue a public apology to the applicant.

In court proceedings, Krukrubo informed Justice Inyang Ekwo that the application had been served to the respondents, and they were still within the time frame to respond.

He requested an adjournment so that the NSA and EFCC could respond to the application.

The judge agreed and adjourned the case to April 8.

“My counsel to you is that if at the time you receive the applications of respondents, you should respond. Case adjourned to April 8, 2024,” ruled Justice Ekwo.