The Federal High Court in Abuja has discharged Tigran Gambaryan, a 39-year-old American, and the fugitive Nadeem Anjarwalla on allegations of tax evasion.
The pair, both executives at the cryptocurrency exchange platform Binance, were brought to court by the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) over these allegations.
The court’s decision came after the FIRS filed fresh amended charges, prompted by Binance’s notice regarding the appointment of a Nigerian representative, Ayodele Omotilewa.
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Gambaryan and the fugitive Anjarwalla were facing a four-count charge brought by the Nigerian government, with the case overseen by trial judge Emeka Nwite.
Despite Binance not having legal representation in court, Gambaryan appeared in the dock to hear the charges against him.
However, his counsel, Chukwuka Ikwazuonu, informed the court that his client had not been served with the charges, arguing that it was premature for his client to be arraigned without knowing the specifics of the charges.
The FIRS prosecutor, Moses Ideho, explained to the judge that they had been unable to serve the charge due to lack of access to the defendant in custody.
As a result, the court ordered that the charge be served on the defendant in open court. Consequently, the judge adjourned the case to April 19 for the arraignment of Gambaryan.
In a separate case by the anti-graft agency, the EFCC, counsel E.E. Iheanacho informed the court that Gambaryan had been served with the charge.
However, Mark Mordi, representing the defendant, argued that Binance, the company he represents, had not been served, and therefore the arraignment could not proceed.
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