Abuja court dismisses former Binance executive’s suit challenging his unlawful, prolonged detention by EFCC

A federal high court in Abuja on Thursday has dismissed a suit filed by former Binance executive, Tigran Gambaryan, challenging his unlawful and prolonged detention by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

Justice Umar Mohammed ruled that the court could not use a fundamental rights-based application to halt or interfere with an active criminal investigation.

Gambaryan, who previously served as Binance’s head of financial crime compliance, had sued the EFCC and the office of the National Security Adviser (NSA), seeking compensation over his prolonged detention.

During the hearing, EFCC counsel, Olanrewaju Adeola, argued that the former Binance official was being held in line with the law, insisting that the agency was prosecuting serious financial crimes involving suspected money laundering and forex violations.

Adeola described the suit as an abuse of court process aimed at obstructing an ongoing investigation linked to the cryptocurrency exchange platform.

The court, agreeing with the EFCC’s position, dismissed the application in its entirety.

It held that the allegations being probed fall squarely within the statutory mandate of investigative and prosecutorial authorities, and as such, the judiciary would not impede their work.