Drama in Court as Gambaryan’s Lawyer Mark Mordi Unaware of Client's Whereabouts

Tigran Gambaryan, an executive of Binance Holdings Limited, was conspicuously absent from his trial at the Federal High Court in Abuja.

This absence led to a mild drama as both his lawyer, Mark Mordi, SAN, and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC)'s lawyer, Ekele Iheanacho, SAN, were caught off guard by his nonappearance.

The trial, which involves alleged money laundering charges against Gambaryan and Binance Ltd., was set to continue that day.

The presiding judge, Justice Emeka Nwite, had previously rejected Gambaryan’s second bail application and scheduled the trial continuation for this date.

However, when the case was called, Gambaryan was nowhere to be found, prompting the judge to inquire about his whereabouts. Mordi admitted, "I do not know why my client was not in court," while Iheanacho expressed surprise and sought a stand down to investigate the situation with the Nigerian Correctional Service (NCoS). Counsel to Binance, Tonye Krukrubo, SAN, also voiced concern, stating, “He is in their custody. It is funny they are saying they do not know his whereabouts.”

The NCoS officer present confirmed Gambaryan was in their custody but could not explain his absence. After a brief adjournment, it was revealed that Gambaryan was too ill to attend court, leading to the proceedings being postponed until October 25 for a health status report.