The Nigeria Central Bureau (NCB) of Interpol, the International Criminal Police Organization, has confirmed the preparation of extradition documents for Nadeem Anjarwalla, an executive at Binance Holdings who fled the jurisdiction.
Garba Umar, the head of Nigeria's NCB, disclosed on the local program "Sunrise Daily" on April 30 that the organization is actively collaborating with various governments to issue a red notice for Anjarwalla and to submit extradition treaties, memorandums of understanding, and other necessary documents to facilitate his return to Nigeria for trial.
Although Interpol officials did not confirm Anjarwalla's current whereabouts, they stated that he was last seen in Kenya. Umar indicated that Kenya was the last known destination when Anjarwalla fled Nigeria, although he refrained from providing further details, citing confidentiality.
Interpol has reached out to all countries where Anjarwalla may have transited, gathering information that cannot be disclosed publicly at this time, according to Umar's remarks on the matter.
Anjarwalla, along with his colleague Tigran Gambaryan, faced charges of money laundering and tax evasion in Nigeria. However, on March 22, they escaped custody in Nigeria and fled to Kenya. Anjarwalla purportedly departed from Abuja on a Middle East Airlines flight, despite uncertainties surrounding how he managed to board the international flight without his British passport, which remained in Nigerian authorities' possession.
While Anjarwalla absconded, Gambaryan maintained his innocence, pleading not guilty to the charges. Following Gambaryan's detention, calls for his release emerged, including a petition launched by his wife urging his return to the United States, garnering over 4,000 signatures to date. Gambaryan's bail hearing is scheduled for May 17.
Binance, meanwhile, made headlines by announcing the cessation of Nigerian naira trading, effectively withdrawing from the market. This decision followed the delisting of all naira trading pairs from its peer-to-peer trading platform at the end of February. The move coincided with remarks from Nigeria's Central Bank governor on February 27, alleging that the country's cryptocurrency exchanges were facilitating illicit transactions, singling out Binance's financial activities as "suspicious."
