Justice Emeka Nwite of the Federal High Court in Abuja, on Monday ordered the officials of the Kuje correctional facility to provide the detained Binance Holdings Limited executive, with a wheelchair.
This order followed Tigran Gambaryan’s abrupt stop in front of Justice Nwite on crutches shortly after the court adjourned, lamented that his health had deteriorated since his remand at Kuje due to inadequate medical care.
Gambaryan’s counsel, Mark Mordi, SAN, had earlier addressed Justice Nwite regarding his client’s declining health. Mordi explained that prison officials’ negligence had exacerbated Gambaryan’s condition, leaving him unable to walk independently. Despite requests for a wheelchair, Mordi stated that prison authorities had refused to accommodate Gambaryan’s needs.
Mordi detailed Gambaryan’s struggle to enter the courtroom, describing how his client endured severe pain while using crutches. He emphasized that a wheelchair would significantly reduce Gambaryan’s discomfort. Appealing to the judge, Mordi requested an order for prison officials to provide a wheelchair. Additionally, he informed the court that a new bail application had been submitted.
In his words, “My Lord, an application for bail was filed on August 28 regarding the second defendant’s health condition. My client’s health has continued to deteriorate. He can’t move without assistance and was crying as he made his way here this morning.”
Prosecution counsel Ekele Iheanacho however, countered the defense’s claims, stating he had filed a response to their application. He contended that Gambaryan was overstating his health issues.
Iheanacho revealed that the Office of the National Security Adviser had supplied Gambaryan’s health records, which, according to him, indicated a less severe condition than alleged.
He also expressed confusion over the prison officials’ failure to present Gambaryan’s health record to the court. And pointed out that Gambaryan had managed his condition for 12 years without life-threatening complications, contrasting this with the current claims of severe illness.
Meanwhile, Tonye Krukrubo, SAN, counsel for the first defendant, addressed the court when the matter was called for trial continuation. He raised concerns about the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) officials, who, despite being subpoenaed, had not provided a complete set of documents—documents that were reportedly accessible from the CBN website.
“There’s an issue I think we should raise with your Lordship. We requested documents from the CBN that should have been downloaded. My Lord remembers that we subpoenaed the CBN, and as of now, I am not aware that they have provided the documents.”
The prosecution counsel handed some documents to Krukrubo, explaining that CBN officials had delivered them earlier. However, Krukrubo immediately noted that the set was incomplete.
In response to this development, Iheanacho requested an adjournment. He proposed that one or two days would suffice to communicate with the CBN regarding the missing documents and resolve the issue.
Justice Nwite adjourned the case until September 4 to continue the trial.
Tigran Gambaryan, the Head of Financial Crime Compliance at Binance USA, and Nadeem Anjarwalla, Binance’s British-Kenyan regional manager for Africa, are facing money laundering charges of $35.4 million brought by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) in Nigeria.
The Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) in Nigeria had initially detained Gambaryan and Anjarwalla. Anjarwalla, however, fled lawful custody on March 22, 2024, while Tigran Gambaryan was subsequently transferred from ONSA custody to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) custody and then to Kuje Correctional Facility, where he remains detained.
