US Presses Nigeria to Free Binance’s Gambaryan

Reports say that the U.S. government is stepping up diplomatic attempts to get Tigran Gambaryan, a Binance employee who has been detained in Nigeria since February 2024, released

The New York Times reports that members of the U.S. government have had private talks with Nigeria’s president, finance minister, attorney general, and trade minister to ask for Gambaryan’s release.

Gambaryan, who used to work for the FBI in the United States and is now Binance’s head of financial crime compliance, went to Nigeria to meet with people about the exchange’s business in that country. He was caught on charges of not paying taxes and laundering money.

The tax charges were later dropped, but he is still being held on suspicion of money laundering.

The detention of Gambaryan has complicated things between the United States and Nigeria. According to the New York Times, Secretary of State Antony Blinken brought up the problem directly with his Nigerian colleague.

The health problems of Gambaryan

Gambaryan’s health is said to be getting worse, so other U.S. officials, like the ambassador to Nigeria, have also pushed for his release on humanitarian grounds.

He has had malaria and problems linked to a herniated disk. His family says he has not been getting enough medical care, which has caused him to have more health problems.

Binance CEO Richard Teng openly called for Gambaryan’s release at the end of August, saying that the Nigerian government was holding him because of “baseless allegations.”

Teng made it clear that the executive’s arrest is hurting their health and mental health very severely. He asked Nigeria to settle the dispute peacefully, just like Binance has done in other countries.

Press releases shared with crypto. News says that during recent court hearings in early September, Gambaryan was not allowed to use a wheelchair and had to use crutches instead.

Even with these attempts by the government, Gambaryan is still being held at the Kuje Detention Facility near Abuja. The United States is still pushing for his release.