- Politicians Take Turn to Request Gambaryan’s Release
- Charges Against Binance And Gambaryan
- Gambaryan’s Health at Stake
The US is unrelenting in its effort to release Binance executive Tigran Gambaryan from Nigerian jail. He has been detained since February 2024 over regulatory, tax, and compliance issues.
Politicians Take Turn to Request Gambaryan’s Release
Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken already raised the issue with his Nigerian counterpart in May. Similarly, US Ambassador to Nigeria Richard M. Mills Jr. has also requested Gambaryan’s release in private conversations with several top officials in the country, including the president, finance minister, attorney general, and trade minister. Three months ago, House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Michael McCaul (R-TX), Representative Rich McCormick (R-GA), and fourteen other Republican representatives sent a letter to President Joe Biden, Secretary Blinken, and Special Presidential Envoy Roger Carstens urging the administration to designate Gambaryan as “wrongfully detained” under the Robert Levinson Hostage Recovery and Hostage-Taking Accountability Act. In the beginning of the year’s second half, McCormick and Representative French Hill (R-AR) wrote to the House Committee on Foreign Affairs, requesting that Gambaryan be considered a hostage, citing his wrongful imprisonment in Nigeria.
Charges Against Binance And Gambaryan
The 40-year-old US citizen traveled to Nigeria to meet with local officials to discuss Binance’s business dealings in the country. However, the meeting went sideways after Nigerian authorities accused the exchange of hampering the economy. The charges brought against Binance and Gambaryan included money laundering and tax evasion. However, the tax charges against the executive were later withdrawn.
Gambaryan’s Health at Stake
It is worth noting that Gambaryan faces some health concerns. There are allegations of inadequate medical care in the prison where he is detained. In one of his court hearings, he struggled to walk with a single crutch and had to ask for help from the guards, although his pleas were ignored. Nigerian authorities remain adamant, stating that his case must proceed through the country’s judicial system.
Talks are ongoing. The government will do all it can within the law, bearing in mind Gambaryan’s humanitarian rights, said Bayo Onanuga, an advisor to Nigeria’s President Bola Tinubu.
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