Richard

bullish

2024

<p class="is-style-lead">The U.S. government is reportedly ramping up diplomatic efforts to secure the release of Tigran Gambaryan, a Binance employee detained in Nigeria since February 2024.</p>
<p>Members of the U.S. government have reportedly held private conversations advocating for Gambaryan’s release with <a href="https://crypto.news/tag/nigeria/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">Nigeria’s</a> president, finance minister, attorney general and trade minister, <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/09/12/technology/binance-nigeria-tigran-gambaryan.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">according</a> to New York Times reporting.&nbsp;</p>
<p>Gambaryan, a former U.S. law enforcement officer and <a href="https://crypto.news/tag/Binance" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">Binance’s</a> (<a href="https://crypto.news/price/bnb/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">BNB</a>) head of financial crime compliance traveled to Nigeria for meetings about the exchange’s business dealings in the country. However, he <a href="https://crypto.news/binance-requests-release-of-detained-employee-in-nigeria/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">was arrested</a> on charges of tax evasion and money laundering.&nbsp;</p>
<p>While the tax charges <a href="https://crypto.news/nigeria-drops-tax-charges-against-binance-executives/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">were later dropped</a>, he remains detained on money laundering accusations.</p>
<p>Gambaryan’s detention has strained U.S.-Nigeria relations, with Secretary of State Antony Blinken personally raising the issue with his Nigerian counterpart, according to the NYT.</p>
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<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="gambaryan-s-health-issues">Gambaryan’s health issues</h2>
<p>Other U.S. diplomats, including the ambassador to Nigeria, have also pushed for his release on humanitarian grounds, as Gambaryan’s health has <a href="https://crypto.news/binance-exec-denied-legal-counsel-as-health-declines/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">reportedly deteriorated</a>.&nbsp;</p>
<p>He has suffered from malaria and <a href="https://crypto.news/binance-we-dont-see-a-clear-roadmap-for-getting-our-executive-back-from-nigeria/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">complications</a> related to a herniated disk, and his family claims that he has not received adequate medical care, leading to further health issues.</p>
<p>In late August, Binance CEO Richard Teng <a href="https://crypto.news/binance-calls-for-us-intervention-as-tigran-gambaryans-detention-marks-6-months/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">publicly called</a> for Gambaryan’s release, criticizing the Nigerian government for holding him based on “baseless allegations.” Teng emphasized that the executive’s detention is causing severe physical and mental harm, urging Nigeria to resolve the situation amicably, as Binance has done in other countries.</p>
<p>In recent court proceedings in early September, Gambaryan was reportedly denied access to a wheelchair and was forced to use crutches, according to press releases shared with crypto.news.&nbsp;</p>
<figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter">
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  <blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550" data-dnt="true">
   <p lang="en" dir="ltr">This inhumane treatment of Tigran must end. He must be allowed to go home for medical treatment and to be with his family. <a rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://t.co/HsQNoyE0cS" target="_blank">https://t.co/HsQNoyE0cS</a></p>— Richard Teng (@_RichardTeng) <a href="https://twitter.com/_RichardTeng/status/1830869029705441553?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">September 3, 2024</a>
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<p>Despite these government efforts, Gambaryan remains in Kuje Detention Facility near Abuja, with the U.S. continuing to advocate for his release.</p>
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US pressuring Nigeria to release Binance’s Gambaryan

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