© Reuters. FILE PHOTO: A smartphone with the Binance logo and a representation of cryptocurrencies placed on a keyboard in this illustration taken June 8, 2023. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo
LAGOS (Reuters) – Two executives from Binance, the world's largest cryptocurrency exchange, will remain detained for at least two more weeks in Nigeria after appearing in court for the first time on Wednesday and, although they have not been charged with any crime, their families said.
Tigran Gambaryan, a US citizen and Binance's head of financial crimes compliance, and Nadeem Anjarwalla, a British-Kenyan who is Binance's regional manager for Africa, flew to Nigeria following the country's decision to ban several cryptocurrency trading websites and were detained upon arrival in February. 26.
On Tuesday, the two men appeared before a Federal High Court in the capital, Abuja. The court and lawyers for Gambaryan and Anjarwalla declined to comment.
Lawyers for the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) want the court to grant a new arrest warrant, after the initial one expired on March 12. Binance executives are opposed to this.
The judge did not rule on the EFCC application.
“At today's court hearing in Abuja, attended by Tigran and Nadeem, the court ruled that after hearing arguments from both sides, they would resume the session on April 5,” the families of the two executives said in a statement. .
An EFCC spokesperson did not respond to a request for comment.
Gambaryan and Anjarwalla were caught in a offensive following a period during which several cryptocurrency websites emerged as preferred platforms for trading the Nigerian currency, as the country battles a chronic dollar shortage.
Binance did not immediately respond to emailed questions.
The company announced earlier this month that it would stop all transactions and transactions in the Nigerian naira currency after March 8.
