Binance Nigeria Money Laundering Trial Delayed to May 17, Gambaryan Family Spokesperson

  • Binance and Nigeria's money laundering trial has been delayed to May 17, a family spokesperson of the detained executive told CoinDesk.
  • Tigran Gambaryan is waiting in Kuje prison for a bail hearing set to also occur on May 17.

Binance Nigeria's money laundering trial has been delayed to May 17, a spokesperson for the family of detained executive Tigran Gambaryan said on Thursday.

The trial was expected to occur today but was pushed back. Reuters reported that Binance’s lawyer complained in court that he had not been served with the additional proof of evidence that he needed to prepare the case. He was then served in court, and the judge allowed him more time to scrutinize the evidence, which is reportedly 300 pages long.

Gambaryan, who is a U.S. citizen and Binance's head of financial compliance, was detained in Nigeria alongside British-Kenyan regional manager for Africa, Nadeem Anjarwalla, in February. The company, alongside the executives, was given anti-money laundering charges as well as tax evasion charges from Nigerian authorities almost a month later.

Anjarwalla has since escaped, and Nigerian authorities have been on the hunt for him. Gambaryan is in Kuje prison while he awaits his bail hearing which is also set to occur on May 17 at the same time as the tax evasion trial. The tax evasion trial was also pushed back in April because the exchange had not been formally served with charges.