News

EFCC arraigns Binance chiefs Thursday, gets arrest warrant

Published

8 months ago

March 31, 2024

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission will on Thursday arraign Binance Holdings Limited and two of its senior executives, Tigran Gambaryan and Nadeem Anjarwalla, who recently escaped from custody and fled Nigeria, over an alleged $35,400,000 money laundering case.

The EFCC had on Thursday, March 28, charged Binance Holdings Limited, Gambaryan, Anjarwalla with laundering $35,400,000.

The EFCC, which has now fully taken over the case from the Office of the National Security Adviser, has also detained Gambaryan and has obtained a court warrant to arrest and extradite Anjarwalla.

Confirming the development to our correspondent on Friday, impeccable sources in the anti-graft agency said that Anjarwalla would be arraigned in absentia alongside Binance and Gambaryan.

“The detained Binance executive, Gambaryan, is now in the custody of the EFCC. The NSA has handed over the matter to the EFCC for investigation and prosecution. The commission has charged Binance, Gambaryan, and Anjarwalla to court for $35,400,000 money laundering, and they’ll be arraigned in court on Thursday, April 4, 2024,” a source told Sunday PUNCH.

Another source revealed, “The EFCC is now partnering with the International Criminal Police Organisation, the United States’ Federal Bureau of Investigation, the government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, and the Kenyan government to effect the arrest and extradition of Mr Anjarwalla, the fugitive who fled from lawful custody in Nigeria.”

Following the takeover of the investigation into the financial irregularities allegedly committed by Binance, the EFCC has filed five counts bordering on money laundering against the cryptocurrency firm and two of its executives, Anjarwalla and Gambaryan, Sunday PUNCH can confirm.

The court documents exclusively obtained by our correspondent revealed that the charges were filed on Thursday, March 28, 2024, before the Federal High Court of Nigeria, Abuja division.

The charges read, “That you, Binance Holdings Limited (aka Binance), Tigran Gambaryan, and Nadeem Anjarwalla (now at large), between January 2023 and January 2024 in Abuja within the jurisdiction of this honourable court carried on specialised business of other financial institution without (a) valid licence and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 57(1) and (2) of the Banks and Other Financial, Institutions Act, 2020 and punishable under Section 57(5) of the same Act.

“Count two: That you, Binance Holdings Limited (aka Binance), Tigran Gambaryan, and Nadeem Anjarwalla (now at large), between January 2022 and January 2024 in Abuja within the jurisdiction of this honourable court engaged in (the) business of other financial institution (other than insurance, stockbroking and pension fund management) without (a) valid licence and thereby committed an offence contrary to and punishable under Section 58(5) of the Banks and Other Financial Institutions Act, 2020.

“Count three: That you, Binance Holdings Limited (aka Binance) between January 2022 and January 2024 in Abuja within the jurisdiction of this honourable court, not being an authorised dealer in Nigeria’s Autonomous Foreign Exchange Market, used your virtual asset services platform to unlawfully negotiate foreign exchange rates in Nigeria and you thereby committed an offence contrary to and punishable under Section 29(1) (c) of the Foreign Exchange (Monitoring And Miscellaneous Provisions) Act.

“Count four: That you, Binance Holdings Limited (aka Binance), Tigran Gambaryan, and Nadeem Anjarwalla (now at large), and other persons at large, between January 2023 and January 2024 in Abuja within the jurisdiction of this honourable court, conspired among yourselves to conceal the origin of the proceeds of your unlawful activities and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 21 (a) and punishable under Section 18(3) of the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022.

“Count five: That you, Binance Holdings Limited (aka Binance), Tigran Gambaryan, and Nadeem Anjarwalla, between January 2023 and December 2023 in Abuja within the jurisdiction of this honourable court concealed the origin of a cumulative sum of $35,400, 000 generated as revenue by Binance in Nigeria knowing that the funds constituted proceeds of unlawful activity and you thereby committed an offence contrary to and punishable under Section 18(3) of the Money Laundering (Prevention and prohibition) Act, 2022.”

The Federal Government, on Monday, contacted INTERPOL and issued an arrest warrant for the apprehension of one of the detained executives of Binance, Anjarwalla, who escaped from lawful custody the previous Friday.

It was gathered from the Office of the National Security Adviser that Anjarwalla used a Kenyan passport to escape, while his colleague was still in custody.

Anjarwalla, who has British and Kenyan nationalities, escaped from Abuja through a Middle East airliner, as his firm confirmed that he was no longer in the country, adding that it would cooperate with security agencies.

The escape shocked security agencies, as they revealed that the fleeing executive was kept in a “safe house” guarded by soldiers, adding that the security guards on duty had been detained.

The ONSA confirmed the escape of Anjarwalla in a statement issued in Abuja on Monday by the Head of Strategic Communication, Zakari Mijinyawa, who stated that preliminary investigation showed that the escapee fled Nigeria using a smuggled passport.

He noted that efforts were ongoing to arrest the suspect.

The statement read, “The Office of the National Security Adviser confirms that Nadeem Anjarwalla, a suspect in the ongoing criminal probe into the activities of Binance in Nigeria, has escaped from lawful custody on Friday, March 22, 2024.

“Upon receiving this report, this office took immediate steps, in conjunction with relevant security agencies, Ministries, Departments, and Agencies, as well as the international community, to apprehend the suspect.

“Security agencies are working with INTERPOL for an international arrest warrant on the suspect. Preliminary investigation shows that Mr Anjarwalla fled Nigeria using a smuggled passport.”

Mijinyawa noted that the personnel responsible for the custody of Anjarwalla had been arrested, adding that investigations were ongoing to unravel the circumstances surrounding his escape.

He added, “The personnel responsible for the custody of the suspect have been arrested, and a thorough investigation is ongoing to unravel the circumstances that led to his escape from lawful detention.

“Recall that the Federal Government of Nigeria, like other governments around the world, has been investigating money laundering and terrorism financing transactions perpetrated on the Binance currency exchange platform.

“Until his escape, Nadeem Anjarwalla, who holds British and Kenyan nationalities and served as Binance’s Africa regional manager, was being tried by Nigerian courts.

“The suspect escaped while under a 14-day remand order by a court in Nigeria. He was scheduled to appear before the court again on April 4, 2024.”

The ONSA spokesperson urged Nigerians and the international community to help with information that could lead to the arrest of the suspect.

“We urge the Nigerian public and the international community to provide whatever information they have that can assist law enforcement agencies to apprehend the suspect,” Mijinyawa added.

Financial Times reported on February 28, 2024, that two executives of the company were arrested and detained after they flew into Nigeria as a result of a ban on their website.

On March 12, 2024, the FT reported that the EFCC asked Binance to share data on its 100 top users in Nigeria as well as transaction history for the past six months.

According to the report, the request is at the centre of negotiations between Binance and Nigeria.

News

Reps Quiz Federal Polytechnics Damaturu, Mubi, Monguno Over Infractions

Published

1 hour ago

November 24, 2024

Gloria Ikibah

By Gloria Ikibah

The House of Representatives has queried the Federal Polytechnic Mubi, Adamawa State, Federal Polytechnic Monguno, Borno State and Federal Polytechnic Damaturu, Yobe State over series of administrative and financial infractions.

This was as Rectors and some management staff of the three institutions appeared before the house Committee on Polytechnics and other Higher Technical Education, as part of oversight function to render accounts of their budget performances.

But the Committee found various infractions in the documents presented by the three institutions which ranged from abuse of Federal Character in employment, Extra-Budgetary spendings and recurring abandoned, uncompleted projects in one of the institutions.

During presentation by the Rector of Federal Polytechnic Mubi, Dr. Abdulrahman Ishaku, the Committee discovered that projects that were to be completed in two to three years were not finished despite adequate release of funds in budget.

Specifically, the Committee was provoked by the non-completion of a staff quarters and an administrative block project by the institution for years.

Speaking, Rep. Emil Inyang who stood in for the Committee Chairman, Rep. Fuad Kayode Laguda at the meeting on Thursday, lamented that, the projects have not been completed and have been recurring in the budgets.

He said, “Physical Planning, can you show me where you rolled over the project to 2023? It’s not here. Is it in 2024? Why do you come here to lie? Where is it? That admin block, is it in use? Has it been completed? So, you have abandoned it.

“Gentlemen, I don’t know what to say to these kinds of people. Construction of staff quarters, Item number Nine under 2022 capital projects. Have you seen it Rector? What is the state of that building? Is it completed? It is completed, that’s what is shown here, and you are saying it is still remaining fittings. Is fittings not part of completion?

“You people are just disgracing yourselves. We are just killing this country from various directions. From our various positions we are just killing this country. Let me ask a question on this staff quarters. In 2022, the amount appropriated was N57.9 million, N28.9 was utilized was released, so remaining N28.9 that’s half.

“But, by 2023, appropriation was 88 and the entire amount has been released. So, is it the same project?If it is the same project, when this appropriation was done, does it mean that, the other 28 that was not done, not utilised that time, is it kept somewhere?”

The Rector however informed the Committee that, the fund was later mopped up.

In his ruling after the submission, the Chairman stated, “What I will tell you now is that, instead of going through this your document that does not satisfy anything, please, you will.list all the abandoned, all the structures you have not completed. When it started, How much was appropriated, How much you have put in till date, the state of those projects one after the other in the entire school.

“Not just in. your regime. From inception till date.So that, we will include them in your 2025 budget. You will not do any new thing as capital. You must complete these abandoned. You have turned some of these projects to conduits of putting money into them and not completing them. Even the ones you have written as completed here. You used your own mouth to tell us here that, you have not installed fittings. That is what you said.

“So, this is why it is necessary for us to go there and see things for ourselves.Because what you are doing here, you are just wasting governments’ resources. These abandoned projects or the state of the jobs especially constructions, let’s have it in one week time. How much you have put in there, at what stage are they, how much you will need to complete”.

Similarly, the Committee criticized the Federal Polytechnic Damaturu over using Insecurity as an excuse for financial malfeasance and other infractions as well the abuse of Federal Character in employment.

Chairman of the Committee noted that, the institution has carelessly spent its Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) according to the records presented to the Committee.

In his presentation, the Acting Rector, Dr Ibrahim Babale Gashua said, the institution is faced with the challenge of low IGR as a result of the insecurity being faced in the state, which according to him, has reduced students intake and other activities.

He said, “We that are residing in Damaturu, the capital of Yobe State, we have three different high institutions. We have to lower our tuition fee because not everybody will come from outside the state. Even those in the state, it is only the course that is not available in their places that they come for in Damaturu because of the insurgency”.

The Committee however discovered that, despite the insurgency claim that reduced the institutions IGR, there was no commensurate reduction in its spending which the Committee said cannot be justified.

Another member of the Committee while commenting on the matter said, “Everybody comes to claim insurgency. Students don’t want to come to the schools. But it doesn’t stop them from spending the whole money.IGR, you blow it, Overhead, and yet, there is insurgency. So, it’s funny. You see, if I have a house and I am supposed to have 10 people occupying it. If 10 people are not occupying it, it means that my NEPA.payment, my PHCN money will reduce, because consumption of power supply will reduce. My water consumption will reduce. My number of cleaners will reduce because I don’t have full occupation. You understand what I am saying? My security personnel will reduce in terms of numbers.

“So, these are the issues.Most of the Polytechnics in the North come here brandishing this insecurity issue as the major reason for non performance. You are not performing on students admission, but you are performing on your expenditure profile”.

Speaking, Chairman of the Committee said, “Ok, this insurgency is a big excuse. Once you mention it, you will all close our mouths.Look at your Nominal Role, a federal Institution. Open to page 47 and 48, you will see how you have obeyed the law of the land, the Federal Character. Have you seen it Acting Rector? That’s the best you can do? You think from all those Zero-Zero states, if you offer them employment they wouldn’t come?”.

The Rector however reacted saying, “Some of them don’t come. Even those that we have left. I am telling you Sir”.

But a member of the Committee, Rep. Adebayo Adepoju faulted the Rector’s claim and said, it was not justifiable.

He said, “You cannot defend it, because if you are trying to defend it, saying that you’ve done everything in your powers and Nigerians have refused to come to your school, at that point, you say you have done the most you can do.

“But, when you did not even given Nigerians the opportunity to apply. We know what goes on in Federal Character. We know. I am telling you, if you go there and you want to apply, everybody has an interest, they give you. And before you know, they give you Certificate of Compliance.

“That Certificate of Compliance, we have shredded it so many times. Give yourself the opportunity to be fair to Nigerians.People want jobs in this country. We have so many jobless people and you will agree with me, there are many that will say, I won’t mind to go to Borno to teach.Please let’s give them an opportunity”.

The Rector and Management of the Polytechnic were directed to remedy the anomalies in their employment and henceforth advertise all vacancies in national dailies in order to give all Nigerians equal opportunity.

Similarly, after a presentation by the Rector, Federal Polytechnic Monguno, Prof. Garba Mohd, the Committee directed the institution to also be diligent in its observance of Federal Character and other issues as the Committee discovered a skewed empolyment in the institution in favour of a particular section of the country.

It reminded the Rector and members of his management that, as a federal institution, it is required by law to treat all parts of the country in terms of employment and other considerations.

News

Obasanjo narrates how he escaped becoming drug addict

Published

5 hours ago

November 24, 2024

Naijablitznews

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has revealed how he almost became a drug addict.

He spoke in Abeokuta over the weekend at the second edition of ‘Fly Above The High’ anti-drug campaign conference organised by the Recovery Advocacy Network.

Obasanjo stated that smoking during his youthful age led to chronic coughing and almost became an addiction.

The former President, while lamenting the increase in drug abuse among Nigerians and other West Africans, urged Nigerian students and young people to refrain from abusing psychoactive drugs, saying that they ruin life rather than enhance it.

“If I had persisted, I could have become addicted. Once you get involved, it is difficult to get out.

“There’s nothing drug can do for you except destruction.

“We found out that West Africa has equally been a centre for drug consumption in a very bad way. That was more than 10 years ago, so the situation has since gone worse. And whatever applies to West Africa applies to all other parts of Africa,” Obasanjo said.

He cautioned against stigmatization and urged individuals who are already addicted to psychoactive drugs to get help.

News

We saved $20bn after Petrol Subsidy Removal and FX Rate Reforms, Says Finance Minister

Published

5 hours ago

November 24, 2024

Naijablitznews

Wale Edun, minister of finance and coordinating minister of the economy, says Nigeria has saved $20 billion from petrol subsidy removal and market-based pricing of the foreign exchange rate.

Edun spoke at a ceremony recently held to mark the first 100 days in office of Esther Walso-Jack, head of civil service of the federation, in Abuja.

“An amount of five per cent of GDP is what those two subsidies were costing when there was a subsidy on PMS; when there was petroleum product generally for a long time and when there was a subsidy of foreign exchange. Between them, they were costing five percent of GDP,” he said.

“If you say GDP was on average, let’s say $400 billion. We all know what five percent of that is – $20 billion of funds that could be going into infrastructure, health, social services, education.”