🌎 U.S. Lawmakers Urge Biden to Help Free Detained Binance Executive

Some politicians in the United States have urged President Joe Biden to initiate efforts to bring back detained Binance executive Tigran Gambaryan. In a letter dated June 4, several congress members, including Rep. Michael McCaul, Chairman of the House of Foreign Affairs, addressed their concerns to the President, Secretary Antony Blinken, and the Presidential Envoy for Hostage Affairs, Roger D. Carstens.

In the letter, the 12 U.S. politicians expressed concerns about Gambaryan being “wrongfully detained” by the Nigerian government.

“We fear for his life. Immediate action is essential to ensure his safety and preserve his life. We must act swiftly before it is too late,” the lawmakers wrote.

Tigran Gambaryan serves as Binance’s head of financial crime compliance. He was visiting Nigeria to address Binance’s compliance issues there. He has been detained for over three months on charges of money laundering and tax evasion.

Currently held in Nigeria’s Kuje Prison, which is known for housing ISIS combatants, the politicians are urging the Special Presidential Envoy for Hostage Affairs to handle Gambaryan’s case. They believe that Nigerian authorities have charged the Binance executive with several “baseless” crimes, viewing this move as an effort to extort Binance.

Gambaryan was detained after two meetings with Nigerian authorities. Initially professional, the meetings reportedly turned hostile. During his detention, Gambaryan tested positive for malaria, and a court order to get him proper medical care was not followed.

He was denied bail on May 17 and did not appear before the court during a subsequent meeting four days later. At that time, the court claimed it was unaware of Gambaryan’s whereabouts or medical condition. He appeared the next day, but his health had noticeably deteriorated, with the politicians noting that he “collapsed to the floor” when asked to “step forward by the judge.”

Gambaryan has also been denied meetings with his legal counsel without the presence of armed guards or other Nigerian authorities, the letter added.

Binance has been working to get Gambaryan out of Nigeria over the past months, but without success. On Monday, Binance’s Chief Compliance Officer stated in an interview that the company doesn’t have high hopes of bringing their head of financial crime back in the short term, citing that this would only be possible with U.S. government intervention.