The federal high court in Abuja has discharged Tigran Gambaryan and Nadeem Anjarwalla from the tax evasion allegations, in the case involving the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) and cryptocurrency exchange platform Binance.
Justice Emeka Nwite’s decision followed a fresh set of amended charges filed by the FIRS after Binance appointed a Nigerian representative named Ayodele Omotilewa.
Before now, the FIRS had filed legal proceedings against Binance, Gambaryan, and Nadeem on March 22, 2024, alleging tax evasion.
The amended lawsuit claimed that Binance and Gambaryan failed to collect and remit various taxes as stipulated by law.
During the court proceedings, Binance’s legal counsel informed the court about the appointment of its Nigerian representative, which led to the FIRS discontinuing the case against the duo.
The fresh charge against Binance accused the platform of offering services to Nigerians without deducting necessary Value Added Taxes (VAT), among other tax-related offenses.
On this grounds, the trial judge struck out the previous charges and names of Gambaryan and Nadeem from the case, directing it to proceed with Binance alone.
The court however fixed July 12, 2024 for a fresh plea to be taken.
(Editor: Ebuwa Omo-Osagie)
