The planned arraignment of Binance Holdings Limited and two of its executives, Tigran Gambaryan and Nadeem Anjarwalla, hit a snag on Thursday. The Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) was unable to serve the charge on the defendants, delaying the proceedings.
During the court session before Justice Emeka Nwite of a Federal High Court in Abuja, only Gambaryan had legal representation. Surprisingly, neither the company nor Anjarwalla, who recently escaped custody, had lawyers present.
Gambaryan’s lawyer, Chukwuka Ikwuazo, SAN, informed the court that his client had not been served with the charge, leading to a halt in the arraignment process. FIRS lawyer, Moses Ideho, admitted to the failure to serve Gambaryan with the charge, citing difficulties in reaching him at the EFCC’s detention facility.
In a bid to move forward, Ideho requested the court to serve Gambaryan in the open court, prompting the judge to direct the charge be delivered to him in the dock. Subsequently, an adjournment was sought to allow Gambaryan to consult with his lawyer, a request that was not opposed by Ikwuazo.
The matter was adjourned until April 19 for Gambaryan to enter his plea, as reported by the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).
Earlier, on March 28, NAN had disclosed FIRS’ intention to arraign Binance Holdings Limited, Gambaryan, and Anjarwalla on April 4 for alleged tax evasion. The trio faces a four-count charge before Justice Nwite, relating to failure to register with FIRS while providing services on the Binance platform.
The charges, dated March 22, accuse the defendants of violating tax laws and are punishable under various sections of tax legislation.
The legal battle between FIRS and Binance Holdings Limited continues, with the next chapter set to unfold on April 19. Stay tuned for updates on this developing story.
