I'm completely heartbroken - Wife of Binance executive detained by FG cries

Elahe Anjarwalla, the wife of the Regional Manager of Binance for East and West Africa, Nadeem Anjarwalla, has lamented the continued detention of her husband in Nigeria.

Nadeem, a British-Kenyan citizen, was detained alongside the company's Head of Financial Crime Compliance and Investigations Team, Tigran Gambaryan, upon arrival in Nigeria on February 26, 2024, for a scheduled meeting with the Federal Government.

The duo's detention is connected to a recent crackdown on various cryptocurrency trading platforms in the country over allegations of collusion and economic sabotage.

On Tuesday, March 19, 2024, the two Binance executives appeared in a Federal High Court in the capital, Abuja, where the Economic and Financial Crimes (EFCC) filed a request for a fresh detention order after the initial one expired on March 12.

However, the Binance executives opposed the move, and the judge did not make a ruling on the EFCC’s request.

“At the court hearing in Abuja today, which was attended by Tigran and Nadeem, the court ruled that after hearing arguments from both parties, they would resume the session on April 5th,” Anjarwalla and Gambaryan's families said in a statement.

Throughout their detention, the families of the two Binance executives have continued to plead with the Nigerian authorities for the release of their loved ones.

For her part, Elahe said, “I am completely heartbroken," as she rued the continued absence of her husband from his family.

"Nadeem has no authority to make high-level decisions at Binance, and I am once again asking from the bottom of my heart that the Nigerian authorities please allow him and Tigran to return home whilst they continue their discussions with Binance," she said in the statement.

Recall the court had on Monday, March 18, 2024, ordered the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchange to provide the EFCC with comprehensive information on all persons from Nigeria trading on its platform.

This order followed an ex parte motion filed by the anti-graft body demanding information about Nigerians trading on Binance.

An earlier report said the EFCC asked the firm to share data on its 100 top users in Nigeria as well as all transaction history for the past six months.

The request is at the centre of negotiations between Binance and the Nigerian government.