The International Criminal Police Organization (INTERPOL) Africa has finished the paperwork needed to extradite Nadeem Anjarwalla, an executive from Binance Holdings Limited, who ran away. Garba Umar, Vice President of INTERPOL Africa, mentioned this on the Sunrise Daily show on Channels Television on April 30.
Umar said they are cooperating with various governments to bring Anjarwalla back to Nigeria for trial. They have issued a red notice against him and provided necessary documents like treaties and a Memorandum of Understanding.
Umar mentioned that Interpol reached out to countries Anjarwalla was believed to have passed through, gathering certain information that can’t be shared here. Although Umar didn’t confirm if Anjarwalla is in Kenya now, he mentioned that’s where he was last seen.
Umar said, “I’m not aware but what I can tell you is that the last destination I know on my record of this guy when he fled (Nigeria) was Kenya. That I can confirm to you.”
Anjarwalla, along with his colleague Tigran Gambaryan, faced charges of money laundering and tax evasion. Anjarwalla escaped custody in Nigeria on March 22 and fled to Kenya, reportedly flying out of Abuja on a Middle Eastern airline.
However, it’s unclear how he boarded the flight without his UK passport, which Nigerian authorities hold. While Anjarwalla remains abroad, Gambaryan pleaded not guilty. Gambaryan’s wife launched a petition to bring him back to the US, garnering 4,161 signatures.
Gambaryan’s bail hearing is set for May 17. On March 5, Binance announced it would stop naira transactions, exiting the market. Binance also removed all naira trading pairs from its peer-to-peer platform in late February.
The governor of Nigeria’s Central Bank claimed crypto exchanges were facilitating illicit transactions on February 27, citing suspicious fund flows at Binance.
Also Read: Binance Founder CZ Sentenced to 4 Months in Prison
