Once again, the court session meant to address the charges of tax evasion against Binance Holding Limited and its official, Tigran Gambaryan, as brought by the Federal Government, was halted due to the non-appearance of the defendants.
Binance Holding Limited, together with its representatives, Tigran Gambaryan and Nadeem Anjarwalla, were summoned to appear before the Federal High Court in Abuja on March 22, 2024.
The charges, filed by the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), alleged various counts of tax evasion, including failure to register with the agency for tax purposes and neglecting to issue invoices for Value Added Taxes.
During the previous court session, Gambaryan was served with the charges by FIRS counsel Moses Ideh, but he was conspicuously absent from the proceedings.
Gambaryan’s defense counsel, Chukwuka Ikwuazo (SAN), attributed his client’s absence to the failure of the Correctional Service to produce him in court. Consequently, Ikwuazo requested a brief recess to ascertain the reasons behind Gambaryan’s non-appearance.
However, Moses Ideh voiced his frustration over Gambaryan’s absence, contending that the defense counsel was aware of this situation but failed to ensure his client’s presence in court. In response, Ikwuazo refuted these claims and sought an adjournment, assuring the court that Gambaryan would be present at the next hearing.
The prosecution, as well as the representative of the first defendant, did not contest the request for an adjournment. Subsequently, Justice Emeka Nwite rescheduled the hearing for July 14.
This legal saga follows previous events wherein two Binance executives were detained upon entering Nigeria, accused of facilitating illicit financial activities through the Binance platform.
The court had ordered Binance to furnish the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) with comprehensive information regarding Nigerian users of its platform. Notably, one of the detained executives, Nadeem Anjarwalla, managed to escape to Kenya, prompting Interpol to prepare extradition documents for his return to Nigeria.
