- Binance officials were scheduled to appear in court on April 4 to face charges related to these alleged crimes
- The Director-General of the Department of State Services (DSS) to lead the investigation
The House of Representatives has announced plans to investigate the circumstances surrounding Mr Nadeem Anjarwalla’s escape from custody. Anjarwalla is an executive of cryptocurrency exchange company Binance.
This decision followed the adoption of a motion by Rep. Dominic Okafor (LP-Anambra) during Wednesday’s plenary session in Abuja.
Anjarwalla was arrested and detained by the Federal Government on Feb. 26 over the alleged involvement of Binance in money laundering and terrorism financing.
According to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), both Binance officials were scheduled to appear in court on April 4 to face charges related to these alleged crimes before the security breach occurred.
Rep. Okafor expressed disappointment, embarrassment, and concern over the Binance executive’s escape, highlighting the use of a “smuggled passport” to evade custody. He criticized the security lapses exposed by this incident, which tarnished Nigeria’s image internationally.
The House further directed the Director-General of the Department of State Services (DSS) to lead the investigation and prosecution of individuals implicated in Anjarwalla’s escape.
Additionally, the committees on Financial Crimes, National Security Adviser (NSA) and Intelligence, and Interior have been tasked with ensuring compliance and reporting back to the House within two weeks.