The Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) is pushing back against Binance Holdings Limited in a high-stakes legal battle over alleged tax evasion and economic losses totaling $79.5 billion.
On Tuesday, FIRS asked the Federal High Court in Abuja to dismiss Binance’s application challenging an earlier court order that allowed the agency to serve legal documents via email. The court had granted this order in February, citing Binance’s lack of physical presence in Nigeria.
Binance, a global cryptocurrency exchange registered in the Cayman Islands, argues that Nigerian law requires court documents for foreign companies to be served directly to a company director or at its registered office. Binance’s lawyer, Chukwuka Ikwuazom, said the FIRS did not follow proper procedures for serving a foreign entity and called for the electronic service to be invalidated.
FIRS countered that Binance’s registration status is unclear and that the company has no office in the Cayman Islands, but maintains significant business activity in Nigeria. The agency noted that Binance’s General Counsel, Eleanor Hughes, who received the court documents by email, acts as a principal officer and has previously engaged with Nigerian authorities.
FIRS also stated that attempts were made to serve Binance’s detained representative, Tigran Gambaryan, in person, but Binance directed that legal papers go through its law firm in Nigeria. The agency insists Binance is aware of the proceedings, as shown by its legal team’s court appearances.
The court has set May 12 for the next hearing, when it will decide whether to uphold the substituted service order or grant Binance’s request to set it aside.
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