A Federal High Court in Abuja has absolved Tigran Gambaryan and his colleague, Nadeem Anjarwalla, from accusations of tax evasion levelled against Binance Holdings Limited by the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS).
Justice Emeka Nwite ruled to discharge Gambaryan and struck out Anjarwalla’s name from the amended charge, following FIRS’ revision where Binance is now the sole defendant.
The development unfolded during proceedings when FIRS counsel Moses Ideho submitted a fresh amended charge, designating Binance as the primary defendant. Tonye Krukrubo, representing Binance, introduced Ayodele Omotilewa as the company’s newly appointed Nigerian representative.
However, contention arose regarding whether Omotilewa should enter the dock to take plea on behalf of Binance.
Krukrubo argued that Omotilewa had not been served with the amended charge and therefore should not be required to enter the dock. Justice Nwite directed both parties to submit written arguments on this matter.
Meanwhile, C.J. Caleb, representing Gambaryan, aligned with Krukrubo’s stance, asserting that the representative’s presence in court was sufficient under current criminal trial norms for corporations, as outlined in the ACJA.
In response, Ideho referenced Section 481 of the ACJA to support his position that a corporation’s representative should be docked during criminal proceedings.
Disputing this interpretation, Krukrubo and Caleb contended that the statute did not mandate such a requirement.
Ultimately, Justice Nwite granted FIRS’ application to substitute the amended charge and discharged Gambaryan from the dock.
He also ordered written arguments to be filed regarding whether Binance’s representative should be docked for plea. The case has been adjourned until July 12 for further proceedings.
The latest amended charge accuses Binance Holdings Limited of failure to register with FIRS while offering services on their platform, thereby allegedly evading taxes as stipulated under the VAT Act of 1993.
