Nigerian Court Dismisses Fugitive Binance Exec's Rights Lawsuit

Binance Exec’s Lack of Representation Leads to Lawsuit Dismissal

A Nigerian Court has dismissed a lawsuit filed by Binance executive Nadeem Anjarwalla which alleged that he and Tigran Gambaryan were “illegally” detained by the West African nation’s law enforcement. In his lawsuit, Anjarwalla accused the National Security Agency (NSA) and the anti-graft body, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), of violating his fundamental human rights.

As previously reported by Bitcoin.com News, when Anjarwalla and Gambaryan were initially detained by Nigerian authorities, no charges were laid against the duo. This prompted their respective legal representatives to sue the government on the basis that their detention and seizure of their travel documents violated sections 35(1) and 35(4) of the 1999 Constitution.

Nigerian authorities eventually slapped the two executives and Binance with tax evasion and money laundering charges. The tax evasion charges were recently dropped after Binance agreed to appoint a local representative to appear in court on its behalf.

However, after filing the lawsuit, Anjarwalla, a dual Kenyan and British citizen, escaped from detention and fled Nigeria. Shortly afterwards, his legal representatives reportedly informed the court that they could no longer represent Anjarwalla in his human rights violation suit against the NSA and EFCC.

Meanwhile, in his ruling, Nigerian Judge Inyang Ekwo reportedly cited the fugitive Binance executive’s lack of legal representation as one of his reasons for dismissing the lawsuit. According to a local report, the court has scheduled a hearing of a similar lawsuit by Gambaryan for July 9, 2024.

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