US Government Pushes For Binance Executive's Release

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The United States government is unrelenting in its effort to free Binance executive Tigran Gambaryan from custody in Nigeria. The former U.S. law enforcement officer has been held in a Nigerian prison since February 2024 over some regulation, tax, and compliance issues between the West African country and Binance.

Politicians Take Turn to Request Gambaryan’s Release

According to a New York Times report, Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken already raised the issue with his Nigerian counterpart in May. Similarly, the US ambassador to Nigeria, Richard M. Mills Jr., has equally 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, a letter from House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Michael McCaul (R-TX), Representative Rich McCormick (R-GA), and fourteen other Republican representatives was addressed to President Joe Biden, Secretary Blinken, and Special Presidential Envoy Roger Carstens. In this letter, the administration was enjoined to designate Gambaryan as “wrongfully detained” under the Robert Levinson Hostage Recovery and Hostage-Taking Accountability Act.

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At the beginning of the year’s second half, McCormick and Representatives French Hill (R-AR) wrote to the House Committee on Foreign Affairs. In their resolution, they requested 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. They were to discuss Binance’s business dealings in the country, but the meeting went sideways after the 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 However, the tax charges against the executive were withdrawn later.

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Gambaryan’s Health at Stake

It is worth noting that Gambaryan is faced with some health concerns. There are allegations of inadequate medical care in the prison where he was 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. Government will do all it can within the law, and also bearing in mind Gambaryan’s humanitarian rights,” Bayo Onanuga, an advisor to Nigeria’s president, Bola Tinubu, said.