The Federal High Court in Abuja has dismissed a lawsuit filed by former Binance Head of Financial Crime Compliance, Tigran Gambaryan, challenging his continued detention by Nigerian authorities over allegations of money laundering and foreign exchange infractions linked to the cryptocurrency exchange platform.
Justice Umar Mohammed, delivering judgment on Thursday, held that the court would not intervene in the ongoing investigation and prosecution being conducted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and other security agencies. He ruled that Gambaryan’s fundamental rights application could not be used to obstruct or undermine the statutory powers of law-enforcement bodies probing serious financial violations.
Gambaryan had sued the EFCC and the Office of the National Security Adviser (NSA), alleging unlawful and prolonged detention and seeking compensation over what he described as an infringement on his constitutional rights. His legal team argued that the former Binance executive had been held beyond permissible limits while being investigated over alleged breaches of Nigeria’s anti-money laundering and foreign exchange laws.
However, counsel to the EFCC, Olanrewaju Adeola, told the court that Gambaryan’s detention was carried out strictly within the law, stressing that he was being held in connection with established charges bordering on money laundering and FX violations committed through the Binance platform. Adeola described the suit as a “gross abuse of court processes,” insisting that the applicant was attempting to obstruct an ongoing legitimate investigation.
Justice Mohammed agreed with the EFCC’s position, affirming that the detention was lawful and that the applicant had failed to establish any violation of his fundamental rights. The court consequently dismissed the suit in its entirety.
The judgment reinforces the stance of Nigerian authorities as they continue their investigations into Binance’s operations in the country and allegations of facilitating illicit financial flows
