Nigerian government drops charges against Binance executive
October 24, 2024
On October 23, a lawyer representing the Nigerian government prosecutor, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), officially announced the withdrawal of charges in the Federal High Court in Abuja.
The government representative noted that Gambaryan, a U.S. citizen, did not play a key role in Binance, whose activities were the subject of the charges.
Reasons for the withdrawal of charges
It was reported that the EFCC dropped the charges against Gambaryan at a hearing that took place two days before the court session scheduled for October 25.
According to sources, the hearing was held earlier to minimize public attention to the case. It is believed that the EFCC lawyer withdrew the case to allow Gambaryan to seek medical treatment abroad.
Deterioration of Gambaryan's health
According to reports, the court terminated the case due to the deterioration of Gambaryan's health. Anonymous sources familiar with the case materials confirmed this fact. Gambaryan's lawyer repeatedly emphasized that his client's health significantly worsened while being held in Kuje Prison in Abuja.
Dispute between lawyers and EFCC
The defense insisted that Nigeria's healthcare system was unable to provide Gambaryan with proper treatment. Meanwhile, the EFCC argued that Gambaryan's lawyers were exaggerating the seriousness of his condition.