There was a mild drama at the Federal High Court in Abuja on Friday as Tigran Gambaryan, an executive of Binance Holdings Limited, failed to appear for his scheduled trial.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Justice Emeka Nwite had set the day for the continuation of the money laundering trial against Binance Holdings Limited and Gambaryan, who serves as the country representative of the global cryptocurrency exchange. The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) brought the charges.
Gambaryan’s absence occurred despite the court’s earlier decision on October 11 to reject his second bail application. His whereabouts were unknown as the trial resumed.
When the case was called, legal counsel for all parties were present in court, except for Gambaryan. His lawyer, Mark Mordi, SAN, told the court he was unaware of why his client had not been brought to the hearing.
EFCC’s counsel, Ekele Iheanacho, SAN, expressed surprise at Gambaryan’s absence, noting that he expected the Nigerian Correctional Service (NCoS) to produce him. Iheanacho requested a brief recess to determine Gambaryan’s location.
Counsel for Binance, Tonye Krukrubo, SAN, also expressed concern, questioning why Gambaryan, who had been in custody, was not present. “He is in their custody. It is strange that they claim not to know his whereabouts,” Krukrubo said.
Justice Nwite also questioned the situation, asking the NCoS officer present in court why Gambaryan had not been produced. The officer confirmed that Gambaryan had been in their custody but could not explain his absence. The judge ordered the officer to contact the head of Kuje Correctional Centre for clarification.
Following the brief recess, the NCoS officer informed the court that Gambaryan was too ill to attend the hearing. Mordi, Gambaryan’s lawyer, requested an adjournment to allow time for medical treatment, while Iheanacho, though prepared to proceed with the case, agreed to the adjournment in light of the defendant’s health.
Justice Nwite adjourned the case to October 25 for an update on Gambaryan’s health status.