During the trial’s resumption on Friday, the Nigeria Correctional Service (NCS) informed Justice Emeka Nwite of the Federal High Court in Abuja that Gambaryan was gravely ill and could not be brought before the court for his trial.

Tigran Gambaryan, the executive of Binance, was not present in court on Friday, thus his trial has been postponed until October 25.

During the trial’s resumption on Friday, the Nigeria Correctional Service (NCS) informed Justice Emeka Nwite of the Federal High Court in Abuja that Gambaryan was gravely ill and could not be brought before the court for his trial.

The News Agency of Nigeria reports that there was some drama during the trial that was resumed in the court on Friday after he was absent.

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on behalf of the Federal Government of Nigeria has filed a money laundering charge against Binance Ltd. and its country representative, Gambaryan. The trial judge set a follow-up date for Friday, October 18, on October 11.

Despite the accused—an American citizen—being ill, the court on October 11 declined to grant him bail.

All of the solicitors representing the parties in the case, with the exception of Gambaryan, the second defendant, were present in court on Friday when the issue was called.

The judge then enquired about Gambaryan’s location via his attorney, Mark Mordi, SAN.

Mordi stated that he was unsure about his client’s absence from court. Ekele Iheanacho, SAN, the attorney for the EFCC, said that he was shocked Gambaryan was not in court.

In order to find out what went wrong, Iheanacho requested a stand-down from the Nigerian Correctional Service (NCoS) administration.

Tonye Krukrubo, SAN, the attorney for Binance, also voiced concern over Gambaryan’s nonattendance in court.

He added that the reason he wasn’t in court should be disclosed to the court by the EFCC.

“They are in charge of him.” He commented, “It’s funny that they’re claiming they don’t know where he is.”

The court questioned, “Was he not taken to the correctional centre on the day the matter was adjourned?”

The NCoS officer present was then questioned by Justice Nwite about why Gambaryan had not been brought in for his trial.

In public court, the officer stated, “Yes, my lord, he was taken to our custody.”

“Were you unaware of his whereabouts?” Justice Nwite enquired further.

The officer emphasised, “He is in our custody.”

The officer was instructed to call the judge when the latter enquired about who was in charge of the Kuje Correctional Centre.

The judge continued, “Call him and let him know the court is concerned about his whereabouts.”

At that point, Justice Nwite put the case on hold.

When the court reassembled, Justice Nwite questioned the NCoS officer over his conclusions.

The officer said that he had successfully communicated with his supervisor.

“I was informed that Gambaryan is extremely ill, which is the reason he was unable to appear in court,” he replied.

Representing Gambaryan, Mordi asked the court to postpone.

“I want a meeting for next week, if only to discuss the status of the second defendant’s health.

According to him, “this will allow parties to take necessary steps to ensure that the defendant gets the required medical care.”

Iheanacho did not object to Mordi’s spoken request.

The attorney stated, “We are also concerned about the defendant’s health status,” even though he would have preferred for the case to go forward given the presence of their witness in court.

“We have serious concerns regarding health issues.”

After then, the court postponed the case until October 25 in order to get a report on Gambaryan’s health.

On September 13, SaharaReporters revealed that Gambaryan had protested the ‘cruel and unusual punishment’ he was allegedly subjected to by the Nigerian government.

After months in incarceration, Tigran’s wife had expressed worries about his declining health.

After Gambaryan was arrested on February 26, 2024, his family is requesting an immediate intervention to save him.

The family of Gambaryan recently disclosed to the public, via Mondo-Advisory, that the man’s health had drastically deteriorated, leaving him bedridden and in critical need of medical care.

The statement had made clear that the US Embassy in Nigeria no longer had access to him and that his legal team was facing restricted access that was impeding trial preparation.

The EFCC, however, has downplayed the gravity of the health allegations made by Gambaryan’s family.

Justice Nwite was informed by the main attorney for the EFCC, Ekene Iheanacho, that the Binance executive’s health issues were “not as serious” as had been reported.