幣安在尼日利亞面臨金融不當行為指控，包括逃稅和洗錢

奈及利亞當局正在審查幣安在奈及利亞的業務，指控幣安操縱貨幣和非法資金轉移。一名幣安高層在奈及利亞被拘留，另一名高階主管在被拘留後潛逃。該交易所面臨逃稅和規避尼日利亞法律的指控。儘管幣安否認有不當行為並強調合規，但當局仍在繼續調查，引發了人們對尼日利亞與加密貨幣複雜關係的擔憂。

Nigerian Authorities Accuse Binance of Extensive Financial Misdeeds, Including Tax Evasion, Currency Manipulation, and Facilitating Illicit Fund Transfers

奈及利亞當局指控幣安存在廣泛的金融不當行為，包括逃稅、貨幣操縱和協助非法資金轉移

Binance Executive Remains in Custody, While Another Flees Country

幣安高層仍被拘留，另一名高階主管則逃離國家

Alleged Violations of Nigerian Laws and Circumvention of Regulations Emerge

涉嫌違反奈及利亞法律和規避法規的情況出現

Lagos, Nigeria - Binance, the global cryptocurrency exchange giant, is facing intense scrutiny in Nigeria, Africa's largest cryptocurrency market. Nigerian authorities have launched a wide-ranging investigation into the company's operations, accusing it of numerous infractions, including tax evasion, currency manipulation, and facilitating the transfer of illicit funds.

尼日利亞拉各斯 - 全球加密貨幣交易巨頭幣安在非洲最大的加密貨幣市場尼日利亞面臨嚴格審查。奈及利亞當局對該公司的營運展開了廣泛的調查，指控其存在大量違規行為，包括逃稅、操縱貨幣和協助轉移非法資金。

Court documents obtained by Decrypt reveal that Nigerian authorities have alleged that Binance, along with its Regional Head for Africa, Nadeem Anjarwalla, and Head of Financial Crime Compliance, Tigran Gambaryan, "carried on specialized business of other financial institutions without a valid license."

Decrypt 取得的法庭文件顯示，尼日利亞當局指控幣安及其非洲區域主管 Nadeem Anjarwalla 和金融犯罪合規主管 Tigran Gambaryan「在沒有有效許可證的情況下開展其他金融機構的專門業務」。

Authorities have also accused the cryptocurrency exchange of manipulating the foreign exchange market, concealing the origins of illicit funds, and facilitating the transfer of a cumulative sum of $35.4 million.

當局還指控該加密貨幣交易所操縱外匯市場，隱瞞非法資金來源，並為累計 3540 萬美元的轉移提供便利。

In February, Binance dispatched Anjarwalla and Gambaryan to Abuja, Nigeria's capital city, to meet with senior government officials as part of the ongoing investigation into cryptocurrency exchanges. As part of the probe, Nigeria demanded that Binance provide information on its top 100 users in the country, along with their transaction history for the past six months.

今年 2 月，幣安派 Anjarwalla 和 Gambaryan 前往尼日利亞首都阿布賈，與政府高級官員會面，作為正在進行的加密貨幣交易所調查的一部分。作為調查的一部分，尼日利亞要求幣安提供該國前 100 位用戶的信息，以及他們過去六個月的交易歷史。

On February 28th, the officials were detained on the orders of the nation's security adviser, Nuhu Ribadu. No charges were initially brought against the pair, who were held by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) for 14 days under the terms of a court order, which was later extended.

2 月 28 日，根據國家安全顧問努胡·里巴杜 (Nuhu Ribadu) 的命令，這些官員被拘留。兩人最初沒有受到任何指控，根據法院命令的條款，他們被經濟和金融犯罪委員會 (EFCC) 拘留 14 天，後來又延長了期限。

On March 22nd, Anjarwalla, a British-Kenyan national, escaped custody, reportedly after he was allowed to visit a local mosque for prayers under guard. Media reports suggest he used a concealed passport to flee the country to an unknown destination. Nigeria is reportedly working with INTERPOL to return Anjarwalla to the country.

3 月 22 日，英國裔肯亞公民安賈爾瓦拉 (Anjarwalla) 越獄，據報道，他被允許在看守下參觀當地一座清真寺進行祈禱。媒體報道稱，他使用隱藏的護照逃離該國，前往未知目的地。據報道，奈及利亞正與國際刑警組織合作，將安賈爾瓦拉送回該國。

That same day, the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) filed charges of tax evasion against Binance, Anjarwalla, and Gambaryan. On March 28th, the EFCC charged Binance, Anjarwalla, and Gambaryan with money laundering.

同一天，聯邦稅務局 (FIRS) 對幣安、Anjarwalla 和 Gambaryan 提出逃稅指控。 3 月 28 日，EFCC 指控幣安、Anjarwalla 和 Gambaryan 洗錢。

Gambaryan, an American citizen, remains in custody and has sued the Nigerian government for unlawful detention. He was served with the charges during a court appearance yesterday and did not enter a plea. He is scheduled for formal arraignment on the money laundering charges on April 8th and the tax evasion charges on April 19th, when his plea will be entered.

美國公民甘巴良仍被拘留，並已起訴奈及利亞政府非法拘留。他在昨天出庭時收到了指控，但沒有提出抗辯。他定於 4 月 8 日接受洗錢指控的正式傳訊，並於 4 月 19 日接受逃稅指控的正式傳訊，屆時他將提出抗辯。

The EFCC has suggested that Gambaryan could face charges on behalf of the exchange. His family has expressed concern that the Binance official is being used as a pawn by Nigerian authorities to punish his employer.

EFCC 表示 Gambaryan 可能會代表交易所面臨指控。他的家人對這位幣安高層被尼日利亞當局用作懲罰其雇主的棋子表示擔憂。

"Simply put, my husband is being held as blackmail," stated his wife, Yuki.

「簡單地說，我的丈夫因勒索而被拘留，」他的妻子由紀說。

Binance has maintained that Gambaryan has not violated any Nigerian law and that he does not have decision-making power within the company.

幣安堅稱甘巴揚沒有違反任何尼日利亞法律，並且他在公司內部沒有決策權。

In Gambaryan's suit against the Nigerian government, he alleges violations of his constitutional rights and awaits arraignment with Binance and Anjarwalla in the Federal High Court in Abuja.

在 Gambaryan 對尼日利亞政府的訴訟中，他聲稱自己的憲法權利受到侵犯，並正在阿布賈聯邦高等法院等待幣安和 Anjarwalla 的提審。

"The detentions will damage Nigeria's reputation," said Seyi Awojulugbe, a senior analyst at Lagos-based risk consultancy firm SBM Intelligence.

拉各斯風險諮詢公司 SBM Intelligence 的高級分析師 Seyi Awojulugbe 表示：“拘留將損害尼日利亞的聲譽。”

The CEO of a Nigerian peer-to-peer cryptocurrency marketplace has dismissed allegations that cryptocurrency exchanges are used for money laundering and terror financing as "rubbish."

尼日利亞點對點加密貨幣市場的執行長駁斥了有關加密貨幣交易所被用於洗錢和恐怖主義融資的指控，稱其為「垃圾」。

"There are smart people in government who know that the vast majority of any illegal activity is done with fiat, the traditional banking system, and cash dollars," Ray Youssef, CEO of NoOnes, told Decrypt.

NoOnes 執行長 Ray Youssef 告訴 Decrypt：“政府中有一些聰明人知道，絕大多數非法活動都是透過法定貨幣、傳統銀行系統和現金美元完成的。”

Binance and Nigeria: A Contentious Relationship

幣安和尼日利亞：有爭議的關係

Despite a change in leadership at Binance, with Richard Teng succeeding Changpeng Zhao as CEO, the company's relationship with Nigerian authorities remains strained. In February, Nigeria's central bank governor, Olayemi Cardoso, alleged that $26 billion had flowed through Binance Nigeria from unidentified sources in one year.

儘管幣安的領導層發生了變化，滕理查德接替趙長鵬擔任首席執行官，但該公司與尼日利亞當局的關係仍然緊張。今年 2 月，尼日利亞央行行長奧拉耶米·卡多佐 (Olayemi Cardoso) 聲稱，一年內有 260 億美元從不明來源流經幣安尼日利亞。

"We are concerned that certain practices go on that indicate illicit flows going through a number of these entities and suspicious flows at best," Cardoso remarked.

卡多佐表示：“我們擔心某些做法的持續存在，表明這些實體中存在非法資金流動，充其量是可疑資金流動。”

According to Chainalysis, a global cryptocurrency analysis firm, at least $24.2 billion was received by illicit cryptocurrency addresses globally in 2023, although the actual figure could be higher.

根據全球加密貨幣分析公司 Chainaanalysis 的數據，2023 年全球非法加密貨幣地址收到至少 242 億美元，但實際數字可能更高。

Bayo Onanuga, a spokesman for Nigerian President Bola Tinubu, claimed in March that Binance's operations were detrimental to the country's economy and blamed the cryptocurrency giant for weakening the local currency, the naira.

尼日利亞總統博拉·蒂努布(Bola Tinubu) 的發言人巴約·奧納努加(Bayo Onanuga) 在3 月聲稱，幣安的運營不利於該國經濟，並指責這家加密貨幣巨頭削弱了當地貨幣奈拉。

Binance has denied any wrongdoing but suspended all its naira-denominated services in March.

幣安否認有任何不當行為，但於 3 月暫停了所有以奈拉計價的服務。

Last month, the FIRS filed tax evasion charges against Binance, alleging that the company had aided its Nigerian users in evading taxes.

上個月，FIRS 對幣安提出逃稅指控，指控該公司幫助尼日利亞用戶逃稅。

The FIRS cited Section 40 of the FIRS Establishment Act 2007 as amended, which prohibits the non-deduction and non-remittance of taxes and prescribes penalties and potential imprisonment for defaulting entities.

FIRS 引用了經修訂的 2007 年 FIRS 設立法第 40 條，該條禁止不扣除和不匯出稅款，並規定了對違約實體的處罰和可能的監禁。

Binance is also accused of failing to collect and remit value-added tax and company income tax, as well as failing to comply with tax return filing obligations.

幣安還被指控未徵收和繳納增值稅和公司所得稅，以及未遵守報稅義務。

Nigeria's Troubled Relationship with Cryptocurrency

尼日利亞與加密貨幣的關係陷入困境

The Binance case highlights Nigeria's complex and evolving relationship with cryptocurrency.

幣安案凸顯了尼日利亞與加密貨幣之間複雜且不斷發展的關係。

In May 2023, President Muhammadu Buhari signed the 2023 Finance Act, introducing a 10% capital gains tax on profits from the disposal of digital assets effective May 1, 2023.

2023 年 5 月，總統穆罕默德·布哈里簽署了《2023 年金融法案》，對處置數位資產的利潤徵收 10% 的資本利得稅，自 2023 年 5 月 1 日起生效。

The country also launched a national blockchain adoption policy in May 2023, aiming to mitigate risks such as money laundering and fraud and to foster trust in cryptocurrency.

該國還於 2023 年 5 月推出了國家區塊鏈採用政策，旨在減輕洗錢和詐欺等風險，並增強對加密貨幣的信任。

Despite these initiatives, President Bola Tinubu, upon assuming office in 2023, lifted the ban on banks facilitating cryptocurrency trading but subsequently initiated a more intense crackdown on cryptocurrency exchanges.

儘管採取了這些舉措，總統 Bola Tinubu 在 2023 年上任後取消了對銀行促進加密貨幣交易的禁令，但隨後對加密貨幣交易所發起了更嚴厲的打擊。

The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) had already ordered the closure of all accounts linked to cryptocurrency exchanges in 2021, fearing that anonymous crypto accounts could facilitate money laundering and terror financing.

尼日利亞中央銀行 (CBN) 已下令在 2021 年關閉所有與加密貨幣交易所相關的帳戶，擔心匿名加密帳戶可能會促進洗錢和恐怖主義融資。

Although the Nigerian government initially indicated its willingness to allow crypto exchanges to register, new entrants are now subject to stricter registration and operation fees, and the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has implemented new anti-money laundering regulations for digital asset operators.

儘管奈及利亞政府最初表示願意允許加密貨幣交易所註冊，但現在新進業者需要支付更嚴格的註冊和營運費用，而且美國證券交易委員會（SEC）已經針對數位資產業者實施了新的反洗錢法規。

The SEC has consistently warned investors that cryptocurrencies are risky ventures and has urged caution.

美國證券交易委員會一直警告投資者，加密貨幣是有風險的投資，並敦促投資者謹慎行事。

Experts contend that Nigeria's foreign exchange crisis is primarily driven by reckless spending rather than cryptocurrency trading.

專家認為，奈及利亞的外匯危機主要是因為不計後果的支出造成的，而不是加密貨幣交易。

"Despite the government's tendency to blame external factors, such as cryptocurrency trading, the root causes of Nigeria's forex rate challenges lie in irresponsible government spending, oil theft, and low export income levels—for which the government bears significant responsibility," stated Awojulugbe.

「儘管政府傾向於歸咎於加密貨幣交易等外部因素，但尼日利亞匯率挑戰的根本原因在於不負責任的政府支出、石油盜竊和低出口收入水平——政府對此負有重大責任，」Awojulugbe 表示。

Binance's Response to Allegations

幣安對指控的回應

The crackdown on Binance commenced months after Bureau de Change operators called for a ban on the cryptocurrency giant.

貨幣兌換局業者呼籲禁止這家加密貨幣巨頭幾個月後，對幣安的打擊就開始了。

"We have to do something that can stop Binance. It's a competition; we need to ban Binance, and the only way to do so is if you have liquidity," Aminu Gwadebe, head of the Association of Bureaux De Change Operators of Nigeria (ABCON), told a government-owned news agency in August.

「我們必須做一些事情來阻止幣安。這是一場競爭；我們需要禁止幣安，唯一的方法就是如果你有流動性，」尼日利亞兌換局協會主席 Aminu Gwadebe（ ABCON），八月告訴政府新聞機構。

Despite the legal challenges and allegations leveled against it in Nigeria, Binance has remained resolute in its defense. The cryptocurrency exchange has categorically denied any wrongdoing and emphasized its commitment to regulatory compliance in all jurisdictions where it operates.

儘管在尼日利亞面臨法律挑戰和指控，幣安仍然堅定地進行辯護。該加密貨幣交易所斷然否認有任何不當行為，並強調其致力於遵守其營運的所有司法管轄區的監管合規性。

Binance's chief strategy officer, Bradley Jaffe, has not responded to Decrypt's request for comment. However, in a March blog post, the company stated that it would fully cooperate with authorities while vigorously defending itself against the charges of tax evasion and illegal operations in Nigeria.

幣安首席策略長 Bradley Jaffe 尚未回應 Decrypt 的置評請求。然而，該公司在三月的部落格文章中表示，將全力配合當局，同時針對在奈及利亞的逃稅和非法經營指控，積極為自己辯護。

In an April blog post, Binance acknowledged ongoing discussions with Nigerian government officials regarding Gambaryan's detention.

在四月份的一篇部落格文章中，幣安承認正在與尼日利亞政府官員就甘巴良的拘留進行討論。