The fundamental rights lawsuit filed by Binance executive Nadeem Anjarwalla against the National Security Adviser (NSA) and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has been dismissed by the Federal High Court in Abuja. The decision by Justice Inyang Ekwo was based on the absence of legal representation for the applicant during the proceedings.
Anjarwalla alleged that his fundamental human rights were violated by the NSA and the EFCC through detention and seizure of his travel documents, citing Sections 35 (1) and (4) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended). His colleague, Tigran Gambaryan, had also filed a similar suit. However, Anjarwalla’s representative, T.J. Krukrubo, SAN, withdrew from the case before the most recent court appearance in March 2024 without stating the reason for withdrawal.
Meanwhile, a hearing for Gambaryan’s suit has been scheduled for July 9, 2024. In a separate suit filed by the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) against Binance executives for tax evasion, Gambaryan and Anjarwalla were dropped as defendants, leaving Binance as the sole defendant. This followed FIRS’s confirmation of Ayodele Omotilewa as Binance’s representative.
Despite being dropped as defendants in the FIRS case, Gambaryan and Anjarwalla are still named in the EFCC’s lawsuit against Binance, which includes allegations of money laundering. Nonetheless, Binance expressed hope that the Commission would follow the FIRS’s actions..