Kenya – The Kenya Police Service has arrested Nadeem Anjarwalla, a wanted executive from the cryptocurrency exchange Binance, who had escaped from lawful detention in Nigeria. The arrest was confirmed by government sources on Sunday.
Anjarwalla is set to be extradited to Nigeria this week by INTERPOL, as per the sources. “Binance executive, Nadeem Anjarwalla, has been arrested by the Kenya Police Service, and he would be extradited to Nigeria this week by INTERPOL,” one of the sources said.
The Federal Government had traced Anjarwalla to Kenya after his escape from Nigeria. Following his arrest, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), the International Criminal Police, the Nigeria Police Force, and the Kenyan Police Service have deepened talks to hasten Anjarwalla’s extradition.
The chairman of the anti-graft agency, Mr. Ola Olukuyede, had previously announced that the commission is collaborating with INTERPOL, the US, UK, Northern Ireland, and Kenyan authorities to extradite Anjarwalla, who has been on the run.
This development comes after the government confirmed that EFCC had fully taken over the case of Binance from the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA). The commission had instituted five-count charges bordering on tax evasion, currency speculation, and money laundering against Binance Holdings Limited, Tigran Gambaryan, and Anjarwalla, the firm’s executives.
For months, the Nigerian government sustained its crackdown on Binance over its role in manipulating the country’s foreign exchange market. During the 293rd meeting of the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) in February, the Central Bank of Nigeria Governor, Olayemi Cardoso, had stated that more than $26 billion had been funneled through Binance without a trace.
The arrest of Anjarwalla marks a significant development in the ongoing investigation into Binance’s activities in Nigeria.
