Federal High Court Dismisses Binance Executive Tigran Gambaryan’s Suit Against NSA, EFCC

Federal High Court Dismisses Binance Executive Tigran Gambaryan’s Suit Against NSA, EFCC

The Federal High Court in Abuja has thrown out a lawsuit filed by Tigran Gambaryan, the former Head of Financial Crime Compliance at Binance, challenging his arrest and prolonged detention by the Office of the National Security Adviser (NSA) and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

Delivering judgment, Justice Mohammed Umar ruled that Gambaryan’s fundamental rights enforcement suit amounted to an abuse of court process, adding that both the NSA and EFCC acted within the scope of their investigative powers under Nigerian law.

According to the court, Gambaryan failed to provide any evidence showing he was entitled to immunity from arrest or prosecution in Nigeria. The judge therefore dismissed the application in its entirety.

Court Upholds NSA, EFCC’s Investigative Powers

Justice Umar emphasised that no court has authority to restrain security agencies—including the police, EFCC, or NSA—from performing investigations, especially in matters involving allegations of money laundering and foreign exchange violations.

He noted that the criminal charges filed in 2024 against Binance Holdings Ltd and its officials remain pending before Justice Emeka Nwite, and that Gambaryan has already been arraigned and remanded by order of that court.

The judge also recalled that Gambaryan’s bail application was rejected by the trial court after he was deemed a flight risk, particularly following the escape of his colleague, Nadeem Anjarwalla, from lawful custody earlier in 2024.

Gambaryan’s Claims of Unlawful Detention Rejected

In the suit filed through his counsel, Tonye Krukrubo (SAN), Gambaryan argued that his detention from February 26–27, 2024, and subsequently from March 12 to April 8, 2024, violated his fundamental rights.
He claimed that the government was using his prolonged detention “as leverage” to pressure Binance.

Gambaryan maintained that he and Anjarwalla—both U.S.-based executives—visited Nigeria solely to honour an invitation from NSA and EFCC officials for a meeting, insisting he had no decision-making authority as he was not a Binance board member.

His lawyer also sought a public apology and judicial declaration that his client’s treatment caused “immense hardship and emotional trauma” to his family.

EFCC, NSA Counter the Allegations

Opposing the suit, counsel for the EFCC, Olanrewaju Adeola, urged the court to dismiss what he described as a “gross abuse of judicial process.”
He argued that a lawful remand order existed during the period in question and highlighted the pending criminal charge filed on March 28, 2024, involving Binance, Gambaryan, and others.

Justice Umar agreed with the respondents, stating that fundamental rights—while protected—are not absolute, especially when weighed against national security concerns and ongoing criminal investigations.

Suit Dismissed

The court ultimately dismissed Gambaryan’s suit, reaffirming the authority of the NSA and EFCC to investigate suspected violations involving Binance’s activities in Nigeria’s foreign exchange ecosystem.

The ruling marks yet another setback for the detained Binance executive, who remains in custody pending further proceedings in the substantive criminal case.

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