Members of the US House of Representatives, French Hill and Chrissy Houlahan, visited Tigran Gambaryan, the Vice President for Global Intelligence and Investigations at cryptocurrency exchange Binance, who is currently held in a Nigerian prison.
Yesterday, @RepHoulahan and I visited with US citizen Tigran Gambaryan in Kuje Prison in Nigeria. We found him suffering from the conditions there, as he has malaria and double pneumonia, and he reports that he has lost significant weight. Even worse, he’s being denied access to… pic.twitter.com/OKEHMXxuF4
— French Hill (@RepFrenchHill) June 20, 2024
According to them, the executive is suffering from malaria and double pneumonia, has lost significant weight, and is being denied access to adequate medical care.
Hill has appealed to the US embassy to assist in the humanitarian release of Gambaryan, given the dire conditions in the prison and his health status.
Earlier, US Congress members and a group of former American officials urged President Joe Biden and Secretary of State Antony Blinken to help bring Gambaryan back home.
Meanwhile, the trial in Nigeria concerning Binance and its executives on money laundering charges resumed. On June 20, a cross-examination of a witness from the local Securities and Exchange Commission took place.
Binance has announced the appointment of Ayodele Omotilewa as the exchange’s authorized representative in the country, who will act as a respondent in the tax-related proceedings.
Last week, the Federal Inland Revenue Service of Nigeria (FIRS) withdrew claims directly against Gambaryan and his colleague Nadim Anjarwalla.
Gambaryan’s wife, Yuki, has called on the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission to follow FIRS’s example and release her husband, reports Cointelegraph.
“It is time for the Nigerian authorities to do the right thing and release my innocent husband. Our tax dollars, along with Tigran’s, go to aid Nigeria every year. The country should be an ally. I refuse to believe that our State Department cannot do more to free an innocent American citizen,” she stated.
In addition to tax evasion and money laundering, Nigerian authorities accuse Binance Holdings Limited of conducting specialized financial activities without a license. The company potentially faces a $10 billion fine.
The exchange denies the charges and calls for the release of its employee.