₦airaland Forum

LordReed:
Why would he plead guilty if he did nothing wrong?

BucketHat:
Bro,you deserve 100 over 100 billion naira for your exceptional comment.

Please,come to Oshodi under bridge by 2.30 am & grab a golden hand shake.

MarkNsukkaBread:
Face your own country and leave Americans to question their president if need be!

floss:
Please spell words correctly when you post, and try to use perfect grammar and punctuation.

DeepSight:
You don't know what the word "almost" means. Go and read what I wrote again.

Stop looking for excuses. When someone is investigated and he has to forfeit illegally gained funds to avoid trial, that is a deal, however you describe it. And it is evidence of wrong doing. And it is punishment.

RaySimran:
He did absolutely no wrong, he was convicted of a shady deal on his platform ( of which as at then he had no power or right to fight it off). More like someone using your invention in a dubious way and you actually can't detect it.

He was unfairly imprisoned by Biden, and he didn't plead guilty.

PigTormentor:
Obviously you are clueless on how the judicial system works in the US.
There's no way the US government will let anyone walk away with just a forfeiture if they have any strong evidence of drug trade. First of all, once you are indicted and convicted, you will lose the money anyway.
If the FBI had any good evidence of drug trade, you will be inflicted and tried. You might get s plea deal if you cooperate but that's after you have been indicted. Also, it's almost impossible to just do forfiture and walk away. It doesn't work that way. I know this system very very well.
You guys are confusing a civil forfiture with criminal case.
Go back to school or show us where and when Tinubu was indicted for any criminal offense.

seunmsg:
In the early days of Binance when the Crypto industry was largely unregulated, some folks used the exchange for money laundering. When this was discovered, CZ cooperated with security agencies to block the funds and put measures in place to ensure such things don’t happen again.

Years later, he exposed the corruption going on in FTX, a crypto exchange owned by an American who was a big time donor to the democrat. SBF was sent to prison for the exposure and the Biden administration went all out to destroy CZ, Binance and indeed the entire crypto industry.

So they went back to the 2017 issues and took CZ to court over it. It was a process that would have a huge impact on Binance and the industry so CZ opted to resign as Binance CEO and and entered a plea bargain that would see him plead guilty for the offense of the exchange since he’s the target and free Binance from any wrongdoing. That’s how he ended up going to prison for four months.

DeepSight:
Lets take it one step at a time since you have appointed yourself BAT's lawyer.

Why did he have to forfeit the funds?

Answer that.

DeepSight:
Lets take it one step at a time since you have appointed yourself BAT's lawyer.

Why did he have to forfeit the funds?

Answer that.

seunmsg:
This is a very good decision by Trump. The Biden administration’s conviction of CZ was simply an overkill. It was absolutely unnecessary. CZ took the bullet for both Binance and crypto in general to survive. Glad Trump has done the right thing by pardoning him.

PigTormentor:
He had to forfeit 450k because he was an accountant who was doing taxes and other accounting jobs for others. Those whom he was working for might have been involved in any criminal enterprise but he was not involved.
The case was investigated and he was found not to be coupable hence he was asked to forfeit the money in his account.
The US govt doesn't allow drug dealers to walk free just because you're forfeiting money. You will forfeit and still go to prison. Go and ask many Nigerians in US prisons doing 20, 30 40 and life in prison for drugs after forfeiture everything.
As far as the US laws are concerned, he's has no criminal history. You can try to read whatever you want into it but those are the facts as far as the law is concerned.
Wasn't your PO fined in the UK for financial manipulations? He was eventually deported.

PigTormentor:
You cannot avoid indictment, trial and prison in the US for drug crime via forfiture, it doesn't work that way. I know, I work in the system.
If it works that way, many people would have walked free.

DeepSight:
Stop playing fast and loose with the facts. He was not acting as any accountant, those funds were in his name/ the name of a company he owned or had direct interest in. That is completely different from being someone else's accountant, in which case you will merely serve as an employee or consultant handling accounts. This is elementary.

The forfeiture was the outcome of a US federal investigation that linked funds in bank accounts held in Tinubu's name to the proceeds of heroin trafficking and money laundering. The court documents alleged the money came from a drug operation run by Chicago drug kingpins, including Adegboyega Mueez Akande and Abiodun Agbele.

Tinubu entered into a settlement agreement with the U.S. government, which resulted in the forfeiture (a decree of forfeiture) of the $460,000 to the U.S. Treasury Department.

Everyone understands that he was neither tried nor convicted. Thats not the problem. The fact of the matter remains that those funds were forfeited because they were proceeds of narcotics trade and money laundering. The US Govt like any other govt makes strategic decisions all the time. Many times even a person wanted for murder can be let go for strategic reasons (for example if he is able to play state's witness and help with the capture of a larger circuit of criminals). Look at the case of Al Capone. With all his atrocities he was not nailed for murder or drugs or any such thing. They nailed him with tax evasion. So with due respect you cannot tell me that the Govt could not in its wisdom decide to act the way it did for strategic reasons. It is up to you as BAT's lawyer to come up with convincing reasons as to what he was doing with such illicit funds. It is silly and laughable to say that he was merely an accountant for others. That is not even the story at all and its an absurd defense in the circumstances.

PS: Why would you assume I am a Peter Obi man? Yes, one can see from your moniker that you are a tribalist of the worst kind. Grow up. I am not even Igbo.

PigTormentor:
After all your wrote, why was he not indicted if the US government have good evidence of his involvement? Any Nigerian with close association would have been charged.
Show us where he was charged.
That's all that matters. The rest in NOISE.
Do you know how bad the FBI will indict any Nigeria with anything dealing with drugs or fraud?
In fact just being around people doing crime is also enough for them to charge you along with the rest.
You are clueless bro.
You are grasping on straws...hope you can breath.
You are clueless on how the system works. The FBI and DEA will charge anyone with anything, they are always desperate for conviction. For them not to have charged him says a lot.

DeepSight:
I am sure you can if the evidence against you remains shaky even when you have in fact done the deed. The govt will be rational and get what it can rather than waste time with a potential acquittal. Also it may do so for strategic reasons if you have a deal with it to help in the arrest or conviction of others. Its happened many times before. Even with those accused of or suspected of murder.

PigTormentor:
That's lie. If the govt have good evidence against you, they will charge you and then try to get you to flip. If they don't charge you , then you have no reason to flip on others.
It is the indictment that will force you to flip and tell on others.
If the US govt can charge you with anything, they will. For them not to have charged him means they didn't have enough to charge.
If you are.not charged then you are as clean anyone.

DeepSight:
As I have said, it is both possible their evidence was shaky and that they took a strategic decision for bigger ends. It happens all the time.

PigTormentor:
So if there evidence is shaky, then that means they didn't have enough evidence to charge him. End of story.
If you have never been charged for a crime, then you innocent of that crime.
There people walking around today who have stolen, raped, sold drugs, and other crimes but have never been caught nor chargcharged not to talk of going to trial. I heard Obi and his brother were into drug trade while he was at UNN but he has never been caught. Does that make him a convicted drug dealer?
Nope

DeepSight:
You are wrong - the govt negotiates alot and can be very strategic towards achieving its goals.
At all events do you really expect anyone to believe that BAT didnt know the nature of the business of Adegboyega Mueez Akande and Abiodun Agbele?

Who do you think is that naive?

PigTormentor:
Look, in the 80s, lots of Nigerians in Chicago were into drugs.
Some of my friends were into it. I actually rode in a car from Detroit to Chicago with people whom I eventually found out were going there for drug dealing but I didn't know. I just rode along for fun.
Till today very day, I have never seen drug face to face except for on TV.
Couple of my friends did sell drugs in the late 80s but I was just a student.
I was never involved, but we hang out together on weekends, some of them went to school with me.
In fact there was a very nice older Igbo brother who owned a club in Detroit back then, he was a known drug dealer but we all still went to his club and he will dash us money and drinks.
I knew plenty of Nigerians in the business back then but I was never involved and I never got indicted. The guy that owned that club ended up back in prison again for drugs.
The government knew who was dealing and who was just hanging around them.

DeepSight:
And you honestly believe that BAT didnt know the source of those funds. You must be naive. Or you just like him so much you choose to close your eyes. I guess you will say he made his billions from his work as an accountant at Mobil.

LordReed:
A lawyer will advise you take a plea deal because the prosecution probably has something bigger in their arsenal that will devastate you in court.

seunmsg:
lol. When the US government is after you and your business, they will do everything to bring you down. Before the plea deal, they already banned all US banks from transacting with the exchange. A lot of European countries were also withdrawing financial services to the company. A long legal battle would have killed off the company and crypto in general. So, the wise thing to do was to make the sacrifice and save the company.

Even the Judge was reluctant to send CZ to prison. The Biden government wanted three years but the Judge grudgingly sent him to prison for four months after complaining that the request of the Biden administration is unheard of in 30 years.

Walklifeman:
U.S. President Donald Trump has granted a presidential pardon to Binance founder Changpeng Zhao, widely known as CZ, who previously pleaded guilty to money-laundering-related charges while leading the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchange.

The White House, in a statement issued Thursday by Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt, said Trump’s decision was an exercise of his constitutional authority and described Zhao’s prosecution under the Biden administration as part of a “war on cryptocurrency.”

“In their desire to punish the crypto industry, the Biden Administration pursued Mr. Zhao despite no allegations of fraud or identifiable victims,” Leavitt stated.

The pardon comes just two months after The Wall Street Journal reported that the Trump family’s own crypto venture which has generated about $4.5 billion since the 2024 election was supported through a partnership with a trading platform linked to Binance.

Zhao had pleaded guilty in November 2023 to violating the Bank Secrecy Act and stepped down as Binance CEO as part of a $4.3 billion settlement with the U.S. Department of Justice. He was sentenced in April 2024 to four months in prison, though prosecutors had sought a three-year term.

Leavitt noted that the judge in Zhao’s case had described the government’s sentencing request as “unheard of in 30 years,” adding that the Biden administration’s actions “damaged America’s reputation as a leader in technology and innovation.”

“The Biden Administration’s war on crypto is over,” she declared.
https://nairametrics.com/2025/10/23/trump-pardons-billionaire-binance-founder-changpeng-zhao/

PigTormentor:
After all your wrote, why was he not indicted if the US government have good evidence of his involvement? Any Nigerian with close association would have been charged.
Show us where he was charged.
That's all that matters. The rest in NOISE.

Do you know how bad the FBI will indict any Nigeria with anything dealing with drugs or fraud?

In fact just being around people doing crime is also enough for them to charge you along with the rest.

You are clueless bro.

You are grasping on straws...hope you can breath.

You are clueless on how the system works. The FBI and DEA will charge anyone with anything, they are always desperate for conviction. For them not to have charged him says a lot.[/b]

Thunderfayamods:
You people are hypocrites! If something like this happen in Nigeria people like you will be calling on America and saying all sorts of gibberish. Now America should be left alone but Nigeria shouldn't be left alone.

BucketHat:
Make I gist you enh,USA president is not bigger than the America laws & can never be. The law is watching him 247,because whatsoever he does is been recorded waiting in the cooler for him.

Nah on your mandate them go stand country you wan use compare the United States of America 🇺🇸

Go Walter Carrington for VI & see Nigerians sleep for US EMBASSY for visa & many denied 🤔

You go weep wen you see how the mopols deh use their rifle & sticks deh chase dem left,right center.

PigTormentor:
Tinubu was never charged nor prosecuted for any crime.

I dare you to produce any document from the US government showing any Tinubu arrest, charged and prosecution for any crime.

Una go just dey spread beer palour rumors instead of facts.

Floky215:
There is no amount of painting or cosmetics that would clear him...

All we know is that he is a bloody drug dealer...