The National Security Adviser (NSA) today confirmed the escape of Nadeem Anjarwalla one of the two Binance Executives being held in custody by the Nigerian government.
The manner of his escape which came after the Nigerian Government filed criminal charges of tax invasion against the company only confirms to a large extent the allegations levelled against the company by the federal government.
The timing of his escape indicates that Nadeem had insiders who provided him with proposed actions of the government and the possible implications. The NSA crucially, equally announced the arrest of suspected internal saboteurs and co-conspirators, and also reeled out plans to recapture the fleeing Binance Executive Director.
The question that the escape of Nadeem has raised so far is, if truly Binance is innocent as claimed and their operations in the country have no secrecy, why then did Nadeem escape from the custody of the federal government?
In a recent article in a UK Tabloid, Nadeem’s wife confirmed that her husband appeared comfortable and well taken care of by the federal government. This at least indicates that the government did not in anyway maltreat the Binance Executives. Also, the fact that they were detained in a guest house further shows that the executives enjoyed preferential treatment in custody to the point of having free access to certain privileges such as phones and internet connectivity as well as some degree of freedom.
It is on record that Binance was recently slammed with the biggest fine ever in the history of the US Treasury. The action of the US Treasury highlights the criminal record of Binance while it also puts a question mark on the goodwill of the cryptocurrency firm.
The escape of Nadeem over the weekend further confirms the fear of Nigerians that Binance has a lot to hide in its operations and the company will do anything and everything to evade justice and sabotage the economic efforts of the Nigerian Government.
“Binance turned a blind eye to its legal obligations in the pursuit of profit. Its willful failures allowed money to flow to terrorists, cybercriminals, and child abusers through its platform.” These are the words of the US Secretary of the Treasury, Janet L. Yellen about the criminal attitude and activities of Binance.
The Nigerian government must ensure it works in collaboration with the interpol to see that Nadeem is rearrested and repatriated to Nigeria to face the law while it must similarly ensure that Nadeem’s escape does not in any way hinder the prosecution of Binance over the allegation of tax evasion and other criminal charges the government have filed against the firm.
The world keenly awaits the outcome of the prosecution as the Nigerian Government must exhibit strong political will to ensure that Binance faces justice which will serve as a deterrent to other economic saboteurs within and outside the country.