detained - The African Mirror

Apr

2024

Detained Binance executive in court on Nigerian tax, money laundry charges

ONE of the two executives from Binance, the world's largest cryptocurrency exchange, detained in Nigeria appeared in an Abuja court to face tax evasion and money laundering charges. Binance and two of its executives Tigran Gambaryan, a U.S. citizen and Binance's head of financial crime compliance, and Nadeem Anjarwalla, a British-Kenyan who is a regional manager for Africa, have been charged with four counts of tax evasion and with laundering over $35 million. Gambaryan and Anjarwalla were detained on February 26 in connection with a criminal investigation into Binance's activities in Nigeria when they arrived in the country. Anjarwalla escaped from custody and fled…

Mar

2024

By CAMILLUS EBOH

Detained Binance executives sue Nigeria’s security adviser, anti-graft agency

NEWS

TWO executives from Binance, the world's largest cryptocurrency exchange, have sued Nigeria's national security adviser's office and the anti-graft agency for violating their fundamental rights and asked the court to set them free. Tigran Gambaryan, a U.S. citizen and Binance's head of financial crime compliance, and Nadeem Anjarwalla, a British-Kenyan who is Binance's regional manager for Africa, flew to Nigeria following the country's decision to ban several cryptocurrency trading websites and were detained on arrival on February 26. Anjarwalla fled the country last week and now faces the prospect of an international arrest warrant. On Thursday, Gambaryan appeared in a Federal High…

Mar

2024

By The African Mirror

Detained Binance executive escapes custody in Nigeria

NEWS

A Binance executive who had been detained in Nigeria has escaped custody, the president's adviser on national security said. Nadeem Anjarwalla, a British-Kenyan who is Binance's regional manager for Africa, a suspect in the ongoing criminal probe into the activities of Binance in Nigeria escaped from lawful custody on Friday, the security adviser's office said in a statement. It added that Nigeria's security agencies are working with Interpol for an international arrest warrant on Anjarwalla. Binance said earlier that it was aware that Anjarwalla, who is the company's regional manager for Africa, was no longer under Nigerian custody and that…

Mar

2024

By The African Mirror

Egypt frees last of Al Jazeera journalists it had detained

MEDIA FREEDOM

EGYPT has freed the last two Al Jazeera journalists who remained in detention in the North African country following a thaw in relations with Qatar, the Doha-based network said on Friday. One of the journalists, Bahaa Eldin Ibrahim, had returned home after being freed, his wife Mona Gamal Eldin confirmed. The head of Egypt's journalism syndicate posted a photo on Facebook of the second journalist, Rabie el-Sheikh, at his home. The journalists, both Egyptian, had been held in pre-trial detention for about four years. Ties between Egypt and Qatar deteriorated after Egypt's then-army chief Abdel Fattah al-Sisi led the ousting…

Mar

2024

By The African Mirror

Detained Congolese journalist Bujakera has been freed, lawyer says

MEDIA FREEDOM

STANIS Bujakera, a journalist detained since last September in the Democratic Republic of Congo on charges of spreading false information, was released, his lawyer said. The lawyer, Yana Ndikulu, said Bujakera - who works for international media including Reuters and Jeune Afrique - was released on Tuesday evening from the prison in the capital Kinshasa where he was being held. "Our client is free," Ndikulu said. Bujakera told Reuters the director of the prison had told him he was free to leave shortly after 21:30 local time (2030GMT). A court in the capital Kinshasa on Monday had found Bujakera guilty of spreading…

Mar

2024

By The African Mirror

Campaign for jailed Senegal election candidate Faye takes to the road

NEWS

BACKERS of detained opposition presidential candidate Bassirou Diomaye Faye are taking his campaign to the streets of Senegal with posters and bracelets, drumming up support in the hope he will be released before the vote. Faye was relatively unknown within Senegal's tumultuous political scene until popular firebrand opposition leader Ousmane Sonko backed his candidacy for the March 24 vote. Sonko, who enjoys widespread support among Senegal's jobless youths, is also in detention and disqualified from the race over a defamation conviction. Sonko denies any wrongdoing. Faye, who is facing charges including defamation and contempt of court, remains eligible because there has been…

Feb

2024

By The African Mirror

Nigeria detains Binance executives in cryptocurrency crackdown

NEWS

TWO senior executives at Binance have been detained in Nigeria as the country cracks down on cryptocurrency exchanges, the Financial Times reported, citing people familiar with the matter. The executives flew to Nigeria following the country's decision to ban several cryptocurrency trading websites last week but they were detained by the office of the country's national security adviser and their passports seized, the report said. Binance did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment. The crackdown follows a period after several cryptocurrency websites emerged as platforms of choice for trading the Nigerian currency, which has suffered chronic dollar shortages. The…

Dec

2023

By The African Mirror

Burkina Faso detains four French civil servants, says diplomatic source

NEWS

FOUR French IT workers with diplomatic passports and visas have been arrested in Burkina Faso's capital, Ouagadougou, a French diplomatic source said, denying a media report that they were intelligence agents. Worsening relations between the junta in Burkina Faso and former coloniser France have recently led to expulsion orders for diplomatic officials, including the French ambassador, and to the suspension of some French media. Speaking on condition of anonymity, the source said the four civil servants came to the West African country to carry out IT maintenance for the French embassy but were detained on December 1 and transferred to Ouagadougou prison…

Nov

2023

By LEELA DE KRETSER

Congo’s Kamerhe says detained Reuters journalist has his support

NEWS

THE Democratic Republic of Congo Deputy Prime Minister Vital Kamerhe said that he supported Congolese journalist Stanis Bujakera, who has been detained in Kinshasa but could not speak about the judicial process currently underway. Kamerhe, who said he had been jailed in the past himself, said the head of state and authorities would speak about the rights of the journalist, who was detained on suspicion of spreading false information about the killing of a prominent opposition politician in an article published by Jeune Afrique. "Stanis Bujakera is a professional journalist and he has my support. But I cannot say anything…

Oct

2023

By The African Mirror

Niger’s ousted president Bazoum detained in secret location, lawyers say

NEWS

NIGER'S ousted President Mohamed Bazoum is being held in a secret location by the junta that seized power in the West African state, lawyers representing him said and denying accusations that the president had tried to escape. Bazoum has been in detention since a July 26 coup, and there have been international calls for him to be released. The junta said late on Thursday that Bazoum and his family, with the help of accomplices in the security forces, had planned to drive a vehicle to the outskirts of the capital Niamey and catch a helicopter ride to neighbouring Nigeria. Reuters was not…