Binance executive Tigran Gambaryan, who traveled to Nigeria in late February, has been illegally detained by the local government and has not been released to this day. Yesterday (4th), 12 American politicians sent a letter to President Biden urging him to take immediate rescue action.
Background:
Binance executive “denies guilt” in Nigeria’s charges of money laundering and tax evasion, and is being held in custody pending 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 Naira and being involved in 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 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 crimes and policy discussions, and hopes that the Nigerian authorities can release Gambaryan, the Nigerian court still refused to grant Gambaryan bail on May 18.
12 American politicians sent a letter to President Biden:
Against this background, 12 American congressmen (including the chairman of the U.S. House Foreign Affairs Committee) sent a letter to President Biden, Secretary of State Antony Blinken, and Special Presidential Envoy for Hostage Affairs Roger D. Carstens yesterday, emphasizing that Gambaryan is still “wrongfully detained” by the Nigerian government and immediate action must be taken to prevent the situation from deteriorating. The letter stated:
The letter, mainly signed by members of Congress, pointed out that Gambaryan is charged with multiple “baseless” crimes, including money laundering and tax evasion, which are considered as means of extortion by the Nigerian authorities against Binance.
Further reading:
Binance CEO Richard Teng criticizes the Nigerian government: illegal detention of Binance executive, demanding a bribe of 150 million pounds
Contracting malaria during detention:
In addition to the issue of wrongful 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 stated:
During his detention, Gambaryan was also diagnosed with malaria, and the court’s order to send him to a private hospital for treatment has not been implemented.
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 5/23, although Gambaryan was present, his physical condition was clearly still not fully recovered:
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