The Nigerian Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) has blamed the Nigerian Correctional Service for failing to present detained Binance executive Tigran Gambaryan in court on tax evasion charges.

Gambaryan did not appear in court on May 22, where he was supposed to be arraigned on tax evasion charges by the FIRS.

FIRS Blames Correctional Service

In March 2024, Binance and its executives were each charged with four counts of tax evasion by the tax authority. After pleading not guilty to money laundering charges filed by the Economic and Financial Crime Commission in April, Gambaryan was transferred to Abuja’s Kuje Correctional Centre and denied bail, remaining in custody.

During court proceedings on Wednesday, prosecution counsel Moses Idehu expressed confusion over Gambaryan’s absence and noted several failed attempts to contact the correctional center. He requested a brief delay to resolve the issue later that day.

Meanwhile, Gambaryan’s lawyer, Chukwuka Ikwuazo, requested the judge to instruct FIRS to remove Nadeem Anjarwalla, another detained Binance executive, from the new charges since he was declared "at large." The FIRS lawyer agreed to remove Anjarwalla’s name from the charges.

Both Gambaryan and Anjarwalla were arrested during a public inquiry and charged with contributing to Nigeria’s economic problems and funding terrorism. They were transferred to a secure facility after their passports were seized.

Dangerous Precedent

Richard Teng, CEO of Binance, criticized the Nigerian authorities' actions, calling them a “dangerous” precedent for companies worldwide. He emphasized that Gambaryan’s visit to Nigeria was solely to provide expertise in financial crime, engage in policy discussions, and support capacity building, not for decision-making or negotiations. Despite assurances from Nigerian authorities for safe passage, the arrests were made.

Gambaryan has since been held at Nigeria’s Kuje prison, known for an Islamic State attack in July 2022 and housing several prominent inmates, including former central bank governor Godwin Emefiele.