Kenyan authorities apprehend Binance executive who fled Nigeria

The Kenya Police Service has taken into custody the fleeing executive from Binance, Nadeem Anjarwalla, and the International Criminal Police Organization is working to extradite him to Nigeria later this week.

Government sources who are familiar with the case but spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to comment on the topic, confirmed the development to the Punch on Sunday night.

A source said, “Binance executive, Nadeem Anjarwalla, has been arrested by the Kenya Police Service, and he will be extradited to Nigeria this week by INTERPOL.”

Another noted, “As we had said before that Anjarwalla would be extradited, he has been arrested in Kenya, and he’ll be extradited to Nigeria this week.”

After Anjarwalla escaped from legal custody in Nigeria, the Federal Government tracked him down to Kenya.

The Nigeria Police Force, the Kenyan Police Service, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, and the International Criminal Police have intensified negotiations to expedite Anjarwalla’s extradition in light of the development.

In the March edition of the EFCC Alert bulletin, Ola Olukoyede, the chairman of the commission, stated that the commission was collaborating with the International Criminal Police Organization, the US Federal Bureau of Investigation, the governments of Kenya, the United Kingdom, and Northern Ireland to extradite Anjarwalla.

Olukoyed said, “The takeover of the prosecution of Binance chiefs by the commission is no less a strong message in the direction of EFCC’s resolve to hedge in distortions and disruptions in the country’s forex market.

“Tax evasion, currency speculation, and money laundering to the tune of $35,400,000 and are at the foundation of the Commission’s five counts against Binance Holdings Limited, Tigran Gambaryan and Nadeem Anjarwalla, the company’s chief executives.

“While Gambaryan is currently in the Commission’s net, the process of extraditing the fleeing Anjarwalla is revving in full swing. Involved in partnership with the EFCC to nick Anjarwalla in flight are the International Criminal Police Organisation, the United States Federal Bureau of Investigation, the governments of the United Kingdom, Northern Ireland, and Kenya as the clock winds down to his arraignment in absentia alongside the company and Gambaryan.”