A series of significant legal and regulatory actions have targeted individuals and entities associated with the cryptocurrency exchange Binance, highlighting growing scrutiny in the sector. A U.S. district court has imposed stricter bail conditions on Binance's founder, Changpeng Zhao, including the surrender of his Canadian passport, restrictions on his travel within the United States until sentencing, and a requirement to notify pretrial services before any domestic travel. Concurrently, Nigerian officials have detained Tigran Gambaryan, Binance's top crypto crime investigator, and Nadeem Anjarwalla, a regional manager for Africa, without their passports for two weeks. Additionally, the Nigerian government is seeking detailed information from Binance about its top 100 users in the country and all transactions over the past six months, and has summoned Binance CEO Richard Teng. These developments come amidst a broader context where a judge has denied a request to return over $300 million in assets to holders of a cryptocurrency issued by bankrupt Chinese exile Ho Wan Kwok's Himalaya Exchange, citing the federal government's continued interest in the seized property.
UPDATE: FORMER BINANCE CEO CZ TO STAY IN THE US UNTIL SENTENCING AND MUST SURRENDER CANADIAN PASSPORT - US COURT
Binance’s Nigerian operations under threat as gov’t summons CEO Richard Teng https://t.co/v2ta1A9sw5
The US has ordered former @binance CEO Changpeng Zhao @cz_binance to surrender all of his passports, active or expired, to a third party and keep authorities updated on his travels. https://t.co/RVx2egzKlN https://t.co/z2HEyh7WZy
According to documents filed on March 12, the U.S. court required that CZ remain in the United States pending sentencing, must notify pretrial services before any travel within the United States, and must surrender his Canadian passport to a third-party custodian.…
Nigeria is actively seeking information from Binance regarding its top 100 users in the country and all transaction history spanning the past six months, according to a Financial Times report. https://t.co/9qOoGhY2lf
Former CEO of Binance ordered to hand over passports to US https://t.co/g3aW3tpoIW
Former Binance CEO Changpeng Zhao has been ordered to surrender his Canadian passport. His bond conditions have also been updated to reflect previous rulings prohibiting him from leaving the US. https://t.co/yKG0qMLCOm
A U.S. district court has changed the bail conditions for Binance cryptocurrency exchange founder Changpeng Zhao and ordered him to surrender his Canadian passport https://t.co/H6LoVSlOSY
Nigerian officials have reportedly detained a former U.S. federal agent and a regional manager for Africa who both work for Binance https://t.co/oRcoGlNJHu
Binance’s Top Crypto Crime Investigator Is Being Detained in Nigeria https://t.co/GqY2BGj1Qh
Tigran Gambaryan, a former crypto-focused US federal agent, and a second Binance executive, Nadeem Anjarwalla, have been held in Abuja without passports for two weeks. https://t.co/H3tXmR06Y4
A judge denied a request to return more than $300 million in assets to holders of cryptocurrrency issued by bankrupt Chinese exile Ho Wan Kwok's Himalaya Exchange, finding that the federal government has a continued interest in the property it seized. https://t.co/yLD6um9CNq