Tigran Gambaryan, a United States-based executive for cryptocurrency exchange Binance who faces tax evasion charges in Nigeria, has reportedly had his case adjourned until April 19.
According to an April 4 Bloomberg report, Gambaryan will remain in Nigerian custody as authorities move forward with charges against the cryptocurrency exchange and two executives, but his case has been adjourned for two weeks. Gambaryan came to Nigeria with Binance executive Nadeem Anjarwalla in February following claims the exchange manipulated the country’s fiat currency, the naira.
Binance announced on March 5 that it intended to cease all naira transactions, effectively exiting the market for Nigerian users. Gambaryan and Anjarwalla — in Nigeria at the time of the announcement — were detained by authorities. Reports suggested that they face charges which include tax evasion and money laundering.
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Nigeria officials have moved forward with charges against the exchange — reportedly adjourned until April 8 — and Gambaryan, but Anjarwalla reportedly escaped custody on March 22 and was able to board a flight out of the capital, Abuja. Gambaryan’s wife has launched a petition to bring him back to the U.S., which had 1,719 signatures at the time of publication.
“It is deeply ironic that he is being charged with the crimes he spent his life fighting,” said Yuki Gambaryan in her petition. “My husband is an innocent man, a pawn in someone else’s game.”
In an April 3 blog post, Binance said Gambaryan had “no decision-making power in the company” and requested he not be held responsible for the exchange’s activities in Nigeria. Cointelegraph reached out to Binance for comment but did not receive a response at the time of publication.
Former Binance CEO Changpeng Zhao remains in the U.S. after pleading guilty to one felony count as part of a $4.3-billion settlement with authorities. He is expected to be sentenced on April 30.
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