Catenaa, Saturday, April 12, 2025- A federal high court in Abuja on Monday adjourned Binance tax evasion trial to April 30 following a legal dispute over the method used to serve court documents. The delay came after a lawyer for the crypto exchange argued against the validity of a substituted service order allowing email delivery of legal notices.
Binance’s counsel, Chukwuka Ikwuazom, contended that Nigerian authorities should have sought formal approval before serving documents abroad. The defense is seeking to nullify a February court order that permitted prosecutors and the Federal Inland Revenue Service to deliver filings digitally.
The case is part of a broader clampdown on crypto firms operating without registration in Nigeria. The government is pursuing $81 billion in penalties, alleging Binance caused financial instability and tax losses through unauthorized operations. Authorities say the exchange owes $2 billion in back taxes and $79 billion in damages.
The legal battle follows the controversial detention of two Binance executives — Nadeem Anjarwalla and Tigran Gambaryan — sent to engage in talks with officials earlier this year. Anjarwalla escaped custody and remains at large. Gambaryan, a former IRS agent, was released from Kuje prison last October on medical grounds after months in detention.
Though the Nigerian government has dropped charges against Gambaryan, Binance remains a central figure in the country’s enforcement push against crypto activity deemed unlawful by financial regulators.
