In a recent development at the Federal High Court in Abuja, the executive of Binance Holdings Limited, Tigran Gambaryan, along with his colleague Nadeem Anjarwalla, who had absconded, were absolved of the alleged tax evasion charges brought against them by the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS).
The presiding Justice, Emeka Nwite, made the ruling to dismiss Gambaryan and Anjarwalla from the four-count charge after the FIRS amended the charge to name Binance as the sole defendant. This amendment led to Gambaryan and Anjarwalla being removed from the legal proceedings.
During the court session, Gambaryan appeared, and it was disclosed by Tonye Krukrubo, SAN, representing Binance, that the company had recently appointed a Nigerian representative, Ayodele Omotilewa, who was present in court.
The FIRS acknowledged receiving notification of Omotilewa’s appointment and subsequently filed an amended charge, listing Binance Holdings Limited as the sole defendant. They requested Omotilewa to enter the dock and plead on behalf of the company, a move contested by Krukrubo.
Krukrubo argued that Omotilewa had not been served with the amended charge and thus should not be required to enter the dock. He emphasized that Omotilewa’s role was specifically to receive legal documents, not to represent the company in the dock.
C.J. Caleb, representing Gambaryan, supported Krukrubo’s argument, citing legal provisions that do not mandate a corporate representative to enter the dock during criminal trials.
However, the FIRS disagreed, citing legal provisions that, in their interpretation, required the company’s representative to be in the dock during criminal proceedings.
In response, Krukrubo and Caleb maintained their position, highlighting that the law does not explicitly require a corporate representative to enter the dock.
Justice Nwite directed the parties to submit written arguments regarding whether Binance’s representative should enter the dock. The judge adjourned the proceedings until July 12 for plea.
However, the amended charge filed by the FIRS names Binance Holdings Limited as the sole defendant, alleging that the company failed to register with the FIRS for tax purposes, as required by law.
Victoria Ibiama
