Binance executive Tigran Gambaryan, who traveled to Nigeria in late February, has been illegally detained by the local government and has not been released since. Yesterday (4th), 12 US politicians wrote a letter to President Biden urging him to take immediate rescue action.
Background:
Binance executive “pleads not guilty” to Nigerian charges of money laundering and tax evasion, remains in prison awaiting trial. Binance: He has no decision-making power.
In February, the Nigerian government banned Binance, Coinbase, and other exchanges, accusing Binance of “manipulating exchange rates” leading to a 70% devaluation of the Nigerian currency, the Naira, and allegations of money laundering. Two Binance executives who went to Nigeria to negotiate with the authorities in late February were detained by the Nigerian government.
One of the detained Binance executives, Nadeem Anjarwall, has already escaped from Nigeria in March, but the other executive, Tigran Gambaryan, is still being held by the Nigerian authorities.
Although Binance CEO Richard Teng stated in an article last month that Gambaryan is not a decision-maker or negotiator for the company, but only serves as an expert in financial crime and policy discussions, he hopes that the Nigerian authorities will release Gambaryan. However, in the trial on May 18, the Nigerian court still refused Gambaryan’s bail.
12 US politicians wrote a letter to Biden:
In this context, 12 US congressmen (including the chairman of the US House Committee on Foreign Affairs) wrote a letter to President Biden, Secretary of State Antony Blinken, and Special Envoy for Hostage Affairs Roger D. Carstens yesterday, emphasizing that Gambaryan is still “improperly detained” by the Nigerian government and immediate action must be taken to prevent the situation from worsening. The letter states:
This letter, mainly signed by members of Congress, points out that Gambaryan is facing multiple “baseless” charges, including money laundering and tax evasion, which are considered extortion tactics by the Nigerian authorities against Binance.
Further reading:
Binance CEO Richard Teng slams Nigerian government: Illegal detention of Binance executive, demanding a bribe of 150 million pounds
Contracting malaria during detention:
In addition to the issue of improper detention, Gambaryan also suffers from illness and torment. It is understood that Gambaryan is currently detained in the notorious Kuje prison in Nigeria, which is notorious for its harsh conditions. The letter states:
During his detention, Gambaryan was also diagnosed with malaria, and the court order to transfer him to a private hospital for treatment has not been executed.
As a result, four days after Gambaryan was denied bail on May 18, he was unable to attend the scheduled court hearing, and when the court reconvened on May 23, although Gambaryan was present, his physical condition was clearly still not fully recovered:
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