A Nigerian judge on Wednesday (April 30) adjourned a tax evasion case against the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchange, Binance, to next month after the country’s tax authority sought permission to serve court documents via email.

Earlier in April, the court had postponed proceedings to allow the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) to respond to Binance’s request to nullify an order permitting court documents to be served electronically, Reuters reported.

The judge has now adjourned the hearing to 12 May, according to court records.

The FIRS has filed a lawsuit demanding that Binance pay US$79.5 billion in alleged economic losses caused by its operations in Nigeria, along with an additional US$2 billion in back taxes, according to court documents.

Nigerian authorities have accused Binance of contributing to the naira’s instability.

In 2024, they detained two of the company’s executives after cryptocurrency platforms became a popular means for trading the local currency.

Binance has yet to comment on the recent allegations of tax evasion and destabilising the naira.

However, the company previously stated it is cooperating with the FIRS to address potential historic tax liabilities.

In court, FIRS counsel Kanu Agabi argued that Binance’s Nigerian legal representatives could also be served court summons, asserting that the company’s registration was unclear and “shrouded in secrecy”.

He noted that while Binance has no physical office in Nigeria, it maintains a significant economic presence and operates a global online platform facilitating cryptocurrency and virtual currency transactions, including in Nigeria.

Meanwhile, Binance’s lawyer, Chukwuka Ikwuazom, had earlier asked the court to annul the order allowing the FIRS to serve documents outside Nigeria, contending that the tax authority had not obtained prior court approval before doing so.

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