Federal High Court, Abuja has ordered Binance Holdings Limited to provide the comprehensive data or information of all persons from Nigeria trading on its platform to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission.
The interim order was granted by Justice Emeka Nwite after ruling on the ex-parte motion moved by EFCC’s lawyer, Ekele Iheanacho.
“The applicant’s application dated and filed 29th February, 2024, is hereby granted as prayed.
“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 ordered.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the interim order was granted to enable the anti-graft agency unravel the alleged money laundering and terrorism financing on Binance, a crypto currency exchange platform.
A certified true copy of the ruling, which was delivered on Feb. 29, was sighted by NAN on Monday.
The ex-parte motion, marked: FHC/ABJ/CS/259/2024, was brought pursuant to Sections 6(b), (h), (I), 7(1), (a)(2), and 38 of the Economic and Financial Crimes Establishment Act, 2004 and Section 15 of the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022 (as amended) and the inherent powers of the court.
In the affidavit in support of the motion deposed to by Hamma Bello, an operative of the EFCC, he said he was attached to the Special Investigation Team (SIT) of the commission domiciled in the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA).
Following the inauguration of the Technical Committee on Currency Stability and Forex Manipulation by the ONSA, the SIT received an ‘intelligence stating the nefarious activities (money laundering and terrorism financing) on Binance’.
“The team began investigation by conducting surveillance of the activities of the platform.
“That the team uncovered users who have been using the platform for price discovery, confirmation and market manipulation which has caused tremendous distortions in the market, resulting in the Naira losing its values against other currencies.
“That from the information afforded to the team by Binance shows that the total trading volume from Nigeria in 2023 alone stood at $21.6 (twenty one billion, six hundred million dollars).
Binance also attached documents stating its own facts as evidence.
Bello, who stressed that the matter was of utmost urgent public interest, noted that the data provided would enable the commission conduct its investigation activities accurately.
He said it was in the interest of justice to grant the application as refusal of the request woulf largely hamper the commission’s investigation.
NAN reports that Binance is a cryptocurrency exchange that lists more than 350 cryptocurrencies globally.
Alongside cryptocurrency trading, it offers other financial services that enhance the experience for users and blockchain developers.
Chinedum Anayo