Friday, June 28, 2024

Nigerian court orders Binance to release users’ data to govt

The ruling was given in February, and it is not clear if Binance has complied.

A federal high court in Abuja has ordered cryptocurrency exchange Binance to provide the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission with a comprehensive data on all persons from Nigeria trading on its platform.

Justice Emeka Nwite granted the interim order after ruling on an ex-parte motion brought by the EFCC’s lawyer, Ekele Iheanacho, the News Agency of Nigeria reported Monday.

“That an order of this honourable court is hereby made directing the operators of Binance to provide the commission with comprehensive data/information relating to all persons from Nigeria trading on its platform,” the judge said in a ruling given on Feb. 29.

Details of the order were not previously known. Ex-parte rulings can be given without the representation of the opposing party.

It was not clear if Binance complied with the order.

The motion contains allegations that Binance was used for money laundering and terrorism financing.

As of last week, the government still detained two Binance executives who flew into the country last month for talks after the authorities blocked the crypto platform.

Binance later announced the discontinuation of all Nigerian naira services.

Nigeria is a major cryptocurrency market, but the government accuses Binance of currency manipulation and rate fixing, demanding nearly $10 billion in compensation. The company denies the allegation.

The Nigerian House of Representatives Committee on Financial Crimes later said it would recommend the arrest of Binance CEO Changpeng Zhao over alleged tax evasion and money laundering activities in Nigeria.


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