Cryptocurrency exchange Binance has filed a motion to the Federal High Court in Abuja, seeking to overturn a controversial $79.5 billion lawsuit tied to alleged “purported substituted service.”

The request, made on Monday, was filed by Chukwuka Ikwuazom SAN, counsel for Binance, who argues that the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) improperly attempted to serve court documents outside Nigeria without judicial approval, as the company has no physical presence in the country.

The initial lawsuit, initiated by Kanu Agabi SAN, alleges that Binance and its executives, Tigran Gambaryan and Nadeem Anjarwalla, failed to comply with Nigerian tax laws, leading to significant economic damages.

Last year, Nigerian police arrested Gambaryan and Anjarwalla on charges relating to what was claimed to be an illegal operation by the country’s authorities. Charges against Gambaryan were subsequently dropped, while Anjarwalla had managed to flee the country.

Agabi claimed that previous attempts to directly serve documents on Binance itself were unsuccessful, prompting him to seek alternative methods, which the court approved on 11 February, 2025.

During Monday’s hearing however, Chukwuka contended that such measures could only be enacted with proper certification from a foreign court regarding failed service attempts.

He emphasised that the email address used for notification was not associated with any Binance employee, raising further questions about the validity of the service.

“Where an order for substituted service is issued by this honourable court, service of the order and the process or document to be served outside jurisdiction can only be made through the Federal Ministry of Justice,” he added, noting that the order for substituted service is invalid and liable to be set aside.

Additionally, Agabi informed the court that the cryptocurrency company had delivered the motion to them that morning and asked for more time to respond.

Consequently, the court postponed the tax evasion case against Binance until 30 April to give the local tax authority time to address a request from the cryptocurrency exchange.

The tax regulator is not only seeking the sizeable fine, but also penalties for alleged tax evasion and operational violations.