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Trump Impeachment Trial To Start After Biden Sworn In —- McConnell

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Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) said Wednesday that President Trump’s second impeachment trial will not start until at least next week, formally rejecting calls to return the Senate to Washington early.

“The House of Representatives has voted to impeach the President. The Senate process will now begin at our first regular meeting following receipt of the article from the House,” McConnell said in a statement.

He added that “there is simply no chance that a fair or serious trial” could be wrapped up before President-elect Joe Biden is sworn in Jan. 20, even if he were to agree with a request from Senate Democratic Leader Charles Schumer (N.Y.) to return the Senate to Washington, D.C., early to start the trial.

“This is not a decision I am making; it is a fact. The President-elect himself stated last week that his inauguration on January 20 is the ‘quickest’ path for any change in the occupant of the presidency,” McConnell said.

The Senate is out of session until Jan. 19, a day before Biden will be sworn in.

Under a memo circulated by McConnell late last week, the earliest the Senate could begin consideration of the impeachment articles is at 1 p.m. either on Jan. 20, the day Biden is sworn in, or Jan. 21, the day after he is sworn in.

It will take a two-thirds vote in the Senate to convict Trump. No Republican senator has said yet that they will support doing so, but Sen. Ben Sasse (R-Neb.) has said he’s open to considering articles of impeachment passed by the House. Sens. Pat Toomey (R-Pa.) and Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) have also called on Trump to resign, something he is unlikely to do.

Underscoring the shifting happening within the party, McConnell, in a letter to Republicans on Wednesday, didn’t close the door on ultimately voting to convict Trump, saying he was waiting to hear the evidence.

“While the press has been full of speculation, I have not made a final decision on how I will vote and I intend to listen to the legal arguments when they are presented to the Senate,” McConnell wrote in the letter to the caucus.

Several other GOP senators have said that Trump bears part of the responsibility of the attack on the Capitol. The president has spent weeks falsely claiming that the election was “rigged” and urged his supporters to march on the building amid the Electoral College vote.

McConnell’s statement came minutes after the House voted on a bipartisan basis to impeach Trump for inciting violence a week after his supporters stormed the Capitol as Vice President Pence and Congress were counting Biden’s Electoral College win.

Ten House Republicans voted to impeach Trump, making it the most bipartisan impeachment vote held for a president. Trump is the only president to be impeached twice.

McConnell’s announcement on the timing of the trial comes after his staff confirmed earlier Wednesday that he had rejected Schumer’s call to use authority granted to Senate leadership in 2004 to force the chamber to go back into session during a time of emergency.

Schumer, in a statement after the House vote, vowed to hold a separate vote to prevent Trump from holding office in the future if there are enough votes to convict him, which would be a first for a president.

“There will be an impeachment trial in the United States Senate; there will be a vote on convicting the president for high crimes and misdemeanors; and if the president is convicted, there will be a vote on barring him from running again,” Schumer said.

“The president of the United States incited a violent mob against the duly elected government of the United States in a vicious, depraved and desperate attempt to remain in power. For the sake of our democracy, it cannot and must not be tolerated, excused, or go unpunished,” Schumer added.

McConnell’s decision means the trial will not start until after Biden is sworn in. House Democrats have also not announced when they will deliver the article of impeachment to the Senate, a first step to triggering the start of the trial.

McConnell, in his statement, argued that the federal government should instead remain focused on Biden’s inauguration, amid growing security concerns.

“I believe it will best serve our nation if Congress and the executive branch spend the next seven days completely focused on facilitating a safe inauguration and an orderly transfer of power to the incoming Biden Administration,” McConnell said.

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JUST IN: CBN Increases Banks Capital Base To N500bn, N200bn For National Commercial Banks

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The capital basis for commercial banks with international permission has been raised to N500 billion by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).

The policy change was confirmed by Mrs. Hakama Sidi Ali, CBN’s acting director of corporate communications. in a declaration.

She added that commercial banks with regional authorization are expected to reach a capital floor of N50 billion, while those with national authority must meet a ceiling of N200 billion.

Announced on Thursday, March 28, 2024, this comprehensive financial reform requires significant increases in banks’ minimum capital bases, which vary depending on the size of the bank.

The latest policy directive specifies that commercial banks with international authorization are now required to shore up their capital base to N500 billion.

In a bid to tighten the financial fabric, the CBN has not overlooked merchant banks, which are now subject to a N50 billion minimum capital requirement.

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Detained Binance Executive Gambaryan Drags EFCC, NSA To Court

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Tigran Gambaryan, the CEO of Binance who is currently in detention, has claimed that he has been violated in his fundamental human rights by the Economic Financial Crimes Commission and Nuhu Ribadu, the National Security Adviser.

Gambaryan, in an originating motion marked: FHC/ABJ/CS/356/24 sought a declaration that his detention and seizure of his international travel passport, contravened Section 35 (1) and (4) of 1999 Constitution.

He urged the court to order the NSA and the EFCC to release him from their custody and return his international travel passport with immediate effect.

Gambaryan also sought an order of perpetual injunction restraining the respondents and their agents from further detaining him in relation to any investigation into or demands from Binance.

He also urged the court to order the respondents to issue a public apology to him.

Gambaryan averred that he was in Nigeria alongside fleeing Nadeem Anjarwalla to honour the invitation of the ONSA and EFCC to discuss issues relating to Binance in Nigeria.

Anjarwalla escaped from the guest house where he and Gambaryan were being held

He argued that he had not committed any offence during the meeting, and neither was he informed in writing of any offence he personally committed in Nigeria at any other time.

“The only reason for his detention is because the government is requesting information from Binance and making demands on the company,” he added.

The fleeing Anjarwalla also filed a similar suit, marked: FHC/ABJ/CS/355/24.

At the proceedings on Thursday, T.J. Krukrubo (SAN) appeared for the plaintiffs, while the respondents had no representation.

Krukrubo informed the court that the respondents were served two days ago.

Shortly after that, he announced to the court that he was withdrawing from the matter as counsel for the fleeing Anjarwalla.

He did not give reasons for his withdrawal.

The trial judge, Justice Inyang Ekwo, adjourned the matter till April 8.

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Federal Government To Arraign Binance Executives Over ‘Tax Evasion’ On April 4

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On April 4, the federal authorities will file charges against senior executives of the cryptocurrency company Binance, Tigran Gambaryan, and Nadeem Anjarwalla, for allegedly engaging in “tax evasion.”

Anjarwalla is Binance’s regional manager for Africa, while Gambaryan oversees the company’s compliance with financial crimes.

The Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) charged Binance with a crime on March 25th for “tax evasion.”

The service claims that the action is intended to maintain national economic integrity and fiscal discipline.

The lawsuit, designated as suit number FHC/ABJ/CR/115/2024, is said to “implicate Binance with a four-count tax evasion accusation”.

However, on Thursday, NAN reported the federal government will charge the three defendants before Emeka Nwite, the presiding judge, at the federal high court (FHC) in Abuja on a four-count charge.

Despite not being a vacation judge, according to the report, the chief judge granted the fiat for the judge to oversee the case during vacation because it is a matter of critical national interest.

The lawsuit comes a month after Anjarwalla and Gambaryan were detained by the Nigerian authorities.

Anjarwalla and Gambaryan had flown into Nigeria but had their passports seized by ONSA.

On March 12, Anjarwalla was transferred to a local hospital after he fell ill while in detention in Nigeria.

However, on March 25, Anjarwalla escaped from custody and fled Nigeria with a smuggled passport.

Meanwhile, Gambaryan, on March 28, sued Nuhu Ribadu, the national security adviser (NSA) and the Economic Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), alleging violation of his fundamental rights.

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