The detained Binance Holdings Limited executive, Tigran Gambaryan, was on Tuesday, whisked into the Federal High Court in Abuja in a wheelchair. Gambaryan, dressed in a black T-shirt and blue jeans, is facing a money laundering charge alongside the cryptocurrency firm. When the matter was called, Gambaryan stood up from the wheelchair and walked slowly into the dock.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC)’s lawyer, Ogechi Ujam, informed the court that although the matter was scheduled for the continuation of the trial, the commission’s lead counsel, Ekele Iheanacho, was not present. Ujam requested the court to stand down the matter to allow Iheanacho to conduct the trial. Babatunde Fagbohunlu, SAN, representing Binance (the first defendant), and Mark Mordi, SAN, representing Gambaryan, did not oppose the application. Justice Emeka Nwite stepped down the matter until noon.
Justice Nwite had previously ordered the management of the Nigerian Correctional Service (NCoS) to release Gambaryan’s medical certificate by July 16. The judge’s order followed an application by Gambaryan’s lawyer, Mordi, who requested the court to summon the medical doctor at Kuje Correctional Centre to explain the delay in providing his client’s medical report despite an earlier court order.
Gambaryan had collapsed in open court on May 23 due to alleged ill-health. The defence law firm, Aluko & Oyebode, had raised concerns on May 27 about Gambaryan’s deteriorating health, warning that he might die in Kuje Correctional Centre if his medical condition continued to worsen.