Politicians in the United States have charged Gambaryan, a former federal agent and Binance compliance officer, with “baseless” crimes, according to the Nigerian government.
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President Joe Biden and the hostage affairs unit have reportedly been urged by a number of US lawmakers to attempt the repatriation of Binance employee Tigran Gambaryan, who has been detained in Nigeria for more than three months on allegations of tax evasion and money laundering.
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In a letter dated June 4 to President Biden, Secretary Antony Blinken, and Presidential Envoy for Hostage Affairs Roger D. Carstens, 12 U.S. politicians emphasized that Gambaryan is “wrongfully detained” by the Nigerian government and urged immediate action to prevent the situation from deteriorating further.
“We fear for his life. Immediate action is essential to ensure his safety and preservice his life. We must act swiftly before it is too late.”
The letter, shared on X by Fox Business reporter Eleanor Terrett, stated that the Special Presidential Envoy for Hostage Affairs is the designated person by U.S. politicians to handle Gambaryan’s case.
The letter, which was mostly signed by Congressmen, stated that Gambaryan had been accused of a number of “baseless” offenses, such as tax evasion and money laundering, and that they believed this was all part of a plot by Nigerian authorities to use coercion to extract money from Binance.
The Nigerian government invited Gambaryan, who oversees the cryptocurrency exchange’s financial crime compliance, to visit the country on February 26 in order to discuss Binance’s compliance concerns.
However, Gambaryan was detained by Nigerian authorities following two meetings that were described as professional at first but turned increasingly hostile.
Currently residing in Nigeria’s “notorious” Kuje Prison—a notorious prison with harsh conditions—is the Binance executive. According to the US lawmakers, he has been fighting “for his life inside a prison cell designed to hold ISIS combatants.”
The American lawmakers claimed that Gambaryan has since tested positive for malaria and that a court order to transfer him to a private hospital for private treatment has not been complied with.
On May 18, Gambaryan was not granted bail. On May 22, four days later, Gambaryan did not show up for a scheduled court appearance. His whereabouts and condition were unknown to the court, prosecutors, and defense team.
Politicians in the US claimed that Gambaryan was present when the court met again the following day. But his physical condition had clearly deteriorated, they claimed.
“When Mr. Gambaryan was asked to step forward by the judge, he could not stand on his own and ultimately collapsed to the floor.”
The American lawmakers added that Gambaryan hasn’t been permitted to meet with his legal team without the presence of armed guards and Nigerian authorities.
Gambaryan spent ten years as an Internal Revenue Service agent before joining Binance.
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