A top official of Binance Holdings Limited, Tigran Gambaryan, arrived at the Federal High Court in Abuja in a wheelchair on Tuesday.
He is facing charges of money laundering and other crimes.
Gambaryan was brought from Kuje prison for the continuation of the hearing on the five-count charge filed against him and his cryptocurrency firm by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission.
Dressed in a black T-shirt and blue jeans, Gambaryan stood up from his wheelchair and walked slowly into the dock when his case was called.
His lawyer, Mark Mordi, SAN, told the court that Gambaryan had fallen ill in prison and that his health was getting worse. “My client fell ill inside the prison, and his health has continued to deteriorate,” Mordi said.
Following an application by Mordi, the trial judge, Justice Emeka Nwite, ordered the Nigerian Correctional Service to release Gambaryan’s medical certificate by July 16. Mordi also requested the court to summon the medical doctor at Kuje Correctional Centre to explain why he had not provided the medical report despite an earlier court order.
On May 17, the court had declined to release Gambaryan on bail. Justice Nwite said, “I am not convinced that the defendant, who is facing money laundering and terrorism financing charges, would be available to face his trial once he is released on bail.” The court decided that Gambaryan had not provided enough reasons to be granted bail.
The EFCC argued that Gambaryan was a flight risk. They claimed he had attempted to secure a new international passport from the US embassy. “The defendant attempted to procure another travel document even when he was aware that his passport was in the state’s custody,” said the EFCC’s counsel.
Gambaryan’s lawyer countered, saying, “The prosecution has not presented any credible evidence to establish why the defendant should not be granted bail.” He added that the claim that his client was planning to escape was based on “hearsay, unreliable, and inadmissible evidence.”
Mordi further argued, “My client is anxious and very desirous to prove his innocence. This whole thing is that they want to use the defendant as leverage to obtain information from his employer. This is purely a state-sanctioned hostage-taking.”
Despite these arguments, the court decided to continue holding Gambaryan in custody and ordered an accelerated hearing of the case.
The EFCC maintained that keeping Gambaryan in Kuje prison was necessary to prevent any escape attempts.
Gambaryan was arrested alongside his colleague, Nadeem Anjarwalla, for their alleged involvement in money laundering and terrorism financing. Anjarwalla escaped from custody and fled to Kenya, prompting the government to seek his extradition.
Both the EFCC and the Federal Inland Revenue Service have filed separate charges against Gambaryan and Binance.
The EFCC is prosecuting them for financial crimes, while the FIRS accused them of tax fraud. However, the FIRS has withdrawn its charges after Binance appointed a Nigerian representative.
