US Political Figures Urge President to Ensure the Safety of Detained Binance Executive by Nigerian Authorities

US Political Figures Urge President to Ensure the Safety of Detained Binance Executive by Nigerian Authorities

US Political Figures Urge President to Ensure the Safety of Detained Binance Executive by Nigerian Authorities

According to a document shared by Fox Business journalist Eleanor Terrett, several American politicians, including Michael McCaul, Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, have written to President Biden, Secretary of State Blinken, and Hostage Affairs Envoy Carstens, requesting that the case of Tigran Gambaryan, the compliance chief of Binance, who is being detained by the Nigerian government, be transferred to the Office of the Special Presidential Envoy for Hostage Affairs to ensure his safety.

Tigran Gambaryan and Nadeem Anjarwalla, Binance’s Africa regional manager, were invited by the Nigerian government in February of this year to attend a high-level meeting regarding compliance issues with Binance in the country. However, the government later accused the exchange of destabilizing the country’s currency and detained the two Binance executives.

According to the report “The Wall Street Journal: Nigeria’s Currency Crisis, Should Binance be Blamed?” 12 American politicians stated in a letter issued on Tuesday (4th) that Gambaryan was accused of multiple “baseless” crimes, including money laundering and tax evasion, and they believe this is part of Nigeria’s extortion strategy against Binance. The letter also mentioned that Gambaryan tested positive for malaria, and as of June 4th, the court order to send him to a private hospital for treatment has not been fully complied with by the prison authorities, nor has it ensured that Gambaryan receives proper medical care.

These politicians emphasized that Gambaryan is still being “illegally detained” by the Nigerian government and immediate action must be taken before the situation worsens. The letter stated:

Before joining Binance, Gambaryan was a federal agent in the United States and worked for the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) for over ten years. It is reported that the Nigerian court is scheduled to conduct cross-examination and trial of his case on June 20th and 21st.

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