Justice Emeka Nwite of the Federal High Court in Abuja has set October 25 for an update on the health condition of detained Binance executive, Tigran Gambaryan, following his absence at his scheduled trial continuation.
Gambaryan is facing $35.4m in money laundering charges brought against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission.
At the resumption of proceedings on Friday, Gambaryan was not present in court, and both the defence and prosecution teams were unaware of the reason for his absence.
Justice Nwite stood down the court briefly to allow the parties to investigate why the 2nd defendant had not appeared.
Upon resuming, Justice Nwite indicated his readiness to proceed with the trial, which was scheduled for the continuation of cross-examination.
The prosecution counsel, Iheanacho informed the court that Gambaryan was receiving treatment at a hospital and that the correctional centre would provide more details.
A representative from the correctional facility said to the court “My Lord, the 2nd defendant is very sick, and we will not be able to produce him in court today.”
Mordi then requested an adjournment until the following week to update the court on his client’s health.
“I humbly beseech my Lord for a date next week, if only to report on the 2nd defendant’s state of health. This should allow the parties to take any necessary steps to ensure the 2nd defendant receives proper medical attention,” he stated.
Iheanacho did not oppose the request for adjournment.
He said, “We are very passionate about health issues and, while we want the case to progress, we do not oppose the adjournment to report on the 2nd defendant’s health.”
With both parties in agreement, Justice Nwite adjourned the matter to Friday, October 25, for an update on Gambarayan’s health condition.
Last week, Gambaryan’s lawyer, Mark Mordi (SAN), prayed to the court for a six-week bail for his client to seek proper medical attention outside the correctional facility, citing inadequate care in custody.
He stated that Gambaryan required surgery for a herniated disc and psychiatric care due to depression and anxiety.
The prosecution counsel, Ekele Iheanacho (SAN), however, opposed Mordi’s application, insisting that the defence was exaggerating the severity of the 2nd defendant’s (Gambarayan) health condition.
He added that the 2nd defendant could receive treatment while detained at the Correctional Facility, asserting that his health was not serious enough to warrant bail.
Justice Nwite while ruling on the application, denied the 2nd defendant’s bail application on the ground that renowned Nigerian medical experts are already managing his health.
He, however, ordered the Nigerian Correctional Service to refer Gambaryan to a standard hospital in Abuja for treatment for three days to two weeks under security supervision.