Tigran Gambaryan, an executive at exchange Binance who was detained in Nigeria, recently pleaded not guilty to four counts of money laundering in the country. According to local news outlet Peoples Gazette, Gambaryan declared his innocence at a court hearing held on April 8.
The Nigerian government has filed money laundering charges against Tigran Gambaryan at the Federal High Court, Abuja Division.
When defending himself against the accusations at the hearing, the Binance executive highlighted that he should not be held responsible for the company’s activities in the country, since he does not have the authority to make decisions regarding Binance’s commercial operations.
According to the publication, Judge Emeka Nwite stated that Gambaryan’s refusal to be notified regarding the charges against Nadeem Anjarwalla, another Binance executive who was detained in Nigeria but managed to escape from custody last month, is not sustainable.
Nadeem Anjarwalla managed to avoid arrest in Nigeria using a fake passport. This event is just the tip of the iceberg in a much larger controversy surrounding the cryptocurrency exchange platform as it faces criminal charges from the Nigerian government. The accusation is serious: tax evasion. And all this is unfolding against the backdrop of the Federal High Court in Abuja where legal proceedings are already underway.
In a statement released on April 3, Binance stated that it “respectfully requests that Tigran Gambaryan, who has no decision-making power in the company, not be held accountable while current discussions are ongoing between Binance and Nigerian government officials.”
It is worth remembering that the federal government of Nigeria accused Binance of tax evasion, on March 25, in the country’s High Court. According to the accusations of the Federal Revenue Service of Nigeria included in the process, four accusations of tax evasion are brought against the platform, namely: non-payment of value added tax, non-payment of income tax, non-submission of tax returns, as well as such as, complicity to help customers avoid taxes through the platform.
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Source: https://portalcripto.com.br/caso-binance-executivo-da-exchange-se-diz-inocente-das-acusacoes-de-lavagem-de-dinheiro-na-nigeria/
