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Highlights
- US lawmakers visit Binance exec in Nigerian jail, push for immediate release due to poor health.
- Tigran Gambaryan faces ongoing detention despite dropped tax charges, suffers from malaria and pneumonia.
- US-Nigeria tensions rise as diplomatic efforts intensify to free detained Binance compliance officer.
During the visit to Kuje Prison in Nigeria by the members of Congress Chrissy Houlahan and French Hill, the situation of the detained American Tigran Gambaryan was shown.
The charges of tax evasion were dropped, yet Gambaryan stays behind bars for the charge of money laundering and is in a very poor health condition having contracted malaria and double pneumonia.
Lawmakers Advocate for Binance Exec Release
Yesterday, members of the US Congress Chrissy Houlahan and French Hill met Tigran Gambaryan in Kuje Prison in Nigeria. Gambaryan who has been detained for the past three months has complained of poor health and has lost a lot of weight due to neglect in the provision of medical attention.
Houlahan and Hill have called for Gambaryan’s immediate humanitarian release, given the poor prison conditions and his health state.
🚨NEW: Yesterday @RepFrenchHill and @RepHoulahan visited detained @binance exec Tigran Gambaryan in a Nigerian prison where he’s been detained for over three months. They describe the difficult conditions they found him in and are strongly advocating for his release.
“We’ve… https://t.co/SQmyjwfw5D
— Eleanor Terrett (@EleanorTerrett) June 20, 2024
In the recent statement, Rep. Hill stressed the importance of the prompt action, focusing on the fact that Gambaryan struggled against financial crimes and cooperated with Nigerian authorities. The lawmakers’ visit came after 18 US Congress members wrote a joint letter to President Biden and Secretary of State Antony Blinken urging them to intervene for the release of Gambaryan.
Charges and Diplomatic Efforts
Gambaryan used to be an IRS Special Agent and served for a decade in the cyber and financial crimes investigation units, and Binance had employed him as a compliance officer when he was arrested.
Despite the Nigerian Federal Inland Revenue Service withdrawing the tax fraud charges against him on June 14, he remains in custody for money laundering charges, which he cannot be granted bail as he is deemed to flee the country.
Many former federal prosecutors and agents have joined the call for Gambaryan’s release and have written to Secretary Blinken to that effect. The ongoing diplomatic efforts are an indication of the existing tension between the US and Nigeria over this case.
Health Concerns and Prison Conditions
On a visit of the Members of Congress Houlahan and Hill to the Kuje Prison, they discovered that Gambaryan had malaria and double pneumonia. His poor health condition has also raised questions on the situation in which he is confined.
Binance has stood its ground and asserted that Gambaryan, who was instrumental in the compliance and investigation departments of Binance, is not a key decision maker at the company. The cryptocurrency exchange has not stopped the process of negotiating with the Nigerian authorities regarding the current legal problems. The following trial session of Gambaryan’s case is set for the 9th of July 2024.
Moreover, Gambaryan’s wife, Yuki Gambaryan, has criticized the US government for its delayed response, urging more decisive action to secure her husband’s release.
Read Also: Nigeria Dismissed Tax Evasion Charges Against Binance Executives
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