Detained Binance executive Tigran Gambaryan has taken legal action against Nigerian authorities, including National Security Advisor (NSA) Nuhu Ribadu and the Economics and Financial Crime Commission (EFCC), over allegations of human rights violations.
Gambaryan, a US citizen who oversees the exchange’s crime investigation unit, was arrested by Nigerian authorities on February 26 along with his colleague Nadeem Anjarwalla as part of investigations into the platform’s operation in the West African country.
Meanwhile, Nigerian authorities’ tax evasion case against the crypto trading platform and its executives is expected to begin on April 4.
Violation of human rights
Gambaryan Reportedly has filed a motion before the Federal High Court, Abuja Division, with five key demands.
These include a declaration that his detention and the continued seizure of his passport violated his freedom rights under the Nigerian Constitution; a court order for his immediate release and the return of his passport, and a permanent injunction preventing authorities from further detaining him in connection with the Binance investigation.
In addition, the motion demands a public apology and stipulates that the defendants bear all costs incurred during the legal proceedings.
NAnjarwalla initially took similar legal action to protect his basic human rights. However, his legal representatives withdrew the motion after he escaped from custody on March 22.
The court postponed the proceedings until April 8, citing the absence of the suspects and the lack of legal representation of any of the applicants.
Tax evasion
Binance and its executives will be too indicted at a Federal High Court (FHC) in Abuja on charges of tax evasion.
The allegations allege that Binance has failed to register with relevant local authorities and avoided tax responsibilities. Furthermore, the Nigerian government accused Binance of facilitating users who evade tax payments.
In addition to these allegations, Binance is accused of failing to issue invoices for value added tax (VAT) purposes and failing to deduct these tax payments from its users.
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