By Adedapo Adesanya
A Federal High Court will hear the money laundering case against crypto exchange, Binance, and two of its executives, Mr Tigran Gambaryan, and the fugitive British-Kenyan regional manager for Africa, Mr Nadeem Anjarwalla, next week, a month earlier than planned.
The next court hearing, originally scheduled for October 11, has now been fixed for September 2.
According to a report by Reuters, defence lawyers asked for the date change and it was granted, the prosecutor said on Monday.
Binance and the executives have been charged by the Nigerian government with laundering over $35 million. The world’s largest cryptocurrency exchange is also facing accusations of tax evasion.
Nigeria also blamed Binance for its currency weakness after cryptocurrency websites became the platforms of choice for trading the Nigerian Naira as the country grappled with chronic dollar shortages and its currency fell to a record low.
In March, Binance stopped all transactions and trading in Naira after a country-wide crackdown on crypto exchanges that have been blamed by authorities for feeding a black market for foreign exchange.
Mr Anjarwalla escaped from detention and left Nigeria before the trial started after he and Mr Gambaryan were detained in Nigeria since February.
According to his wife, Yuki Gambaryan, his health has deteriorated in prison, appealing to the Nigerian government to drop the charges against her husband and release him on health grounds. She has also asked the US government to help secure his release.
In July, Mr Gambaryan was brought to the courtroom in a wheelchair dressed in a black T-shirt with blue jeans trousers but stood up from the wheelchair and walked slowly into the dock.
The EFCC lawyer, Mrs Ogechi Ujam, told the court that though the matter was scheduled for the continuation of trial, the commission’s lead counsel, Ekele Iheanacho, was not in court.
Mrs Ujam had prayed the court to stand down the matter to enable Iheanacho to conduct the trial.
Lawyer to Binance, Mr Babatunde Fagbohunlu (SAN), and Mr Mark Mordi, who represented Mr Gambaryan, did not oppose the application.
Justice Emeka Nwite stepped down on the matter.
Justice Emeka Nwite had, on July 5, ordered the management of the Nigerian Correctional Service (NCoS) to release the medical certificate of the accused on or before July 16.
The judge gave the order following an application by Mr Gambaryan’s lawyer.
Mr Mordi had prayed the court to summon the medical doctor at the health facility of Kuje Correctional Centre, to explain why he had allegedly refused to make available his client’s medical report despite an earlier court order.