Vice President Garba Umar from the Nigerian Central Bureau (NCB) of the International Criminal Police Organization (INTERPOL) for Africa confirmed on Tuesday that the extradition papers for escaped Nigeria Binance exec Nadeem Anjarwalla have been finalized.
During a television appearance on the Nigerian news program Sunrise Daily, Vice President of INTERPOL Africa Garba Umar said that all paperwork related to Anjarwalla’s planned extradition has been completed.
Nadeem Anjarwalla Extradition Paperwork Complete, INTERPOL Africa Says
“We are now doing everything possible to ensure the country complies with INTERPOL’s rules of international police cooperation by initiating the extradition process to bring him back to face justice in Nigeria,” Umar said.
Anjarwalla was originally detained by Nigerian authorities alongside fellow Binance executive Tigran Gambaryan in late February and arrested on charges of money laundering and tax evasion. Anjarwalla fled shortly thereafter before reportedly being found and detained by Kenyan officials just over a week ago.
Questions have swirled over the legitimacy of Anjarwalla and Gambaryan’s capture, with media reports suggesting that the country’s officials demanded personal information of the crypto exchange’s top users.
The duo, who were reportedly invited to the country by its government, are due back in an Abuja court for a hearing later this month.
Nigeria Binance Execs Face Uncertain Fate Amidst Anjarwalla’s Extradition
Meanwhile, Binance claimed it was “collaborating” with the Nigerian government on its employees’ safe return.
“Binance respectfully requests that Tigran Gambaryan, who has no decision-making power in the company, is not held responsible while current discussions are ongoing between Binance and Nigerian government officials,” a recent statement from the company said.
Anjarwalla and Gambrayan aren’t the only higher-ups at the crypto exchange facing prison time.
On Tuesday, Binance founder and former CEO Changpeng ‘CZ’ Zhao was sentenced to four months in U.S. prison after a recent jury trial found him liable for fraud related to the crash of algorithmic stablecoins Terra and Luna.
I would like to thank everyone for your care and support, be it writing letters, showing support on X, or in any other form. They all mean a lot to me and keep me strong. I will do my time, conclude this phase and focus on the next chapter of my life (education).
I will remain a…
— CZ 🔶 BNB (@cz_binance) May 1, 2024
“I will do my time, conclude this phase and focus on the next chapter of my life (education),” the Binance founder said in a Tuesday X post. “I will remain a passive investor (and holder) in crypto. Our industry has entered a new phase. Compliance is super important.”
In addition to jail time, CZ will be fined $50 million, and Binance will pay $4.3 billion in penalties.
Whether or not Anjarwalla will be extradited or the crypto exchange will be able to win its reputation back amidst the push for regulatory compliance is unclear as of now.