Two United States
Congress members, French Hill and Chrissy Houlahan, have called for the release
of Tigran Gambaryan, a detained Binance executive, during their visit to
Nigeria. The congressmen are in Nigeria on a national security trip to discuss
America's support for the country in the fight against terrorism. They seized
the opportunity to advocate for Gambaryan's release, who has been held in Kuje
prison since February 28, 2024.
Mr. Gambaryan, a US citizen,
was arrested along with Nadeem Anjarwalla, Binance's Regional Manager for
Africa, after they were invited to meet with the Economic and Financial Crimes
Commission (EFCC) and the Office of the National Security Adviser. While Anjarwalla
managed to escape detention, Gambaryan has remained in prison, where he is
reportedly suffering from malaria and double pneumonia, and has lost
significant weight due to inadequate medical attention.
Despite the Federal
Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) dropping tax evasion charges against Binance
executives on June 15, 2024, the EFCC continues to pursue money laundering
charges against Gambaryan. Binance has maintained that Gambaryan is not a
decision-maker in the company and should not be held responsible for any
alleged wrongdoing.
The US lawmakers' visit
and advocacy for Gambaryan's release come after previous calls from US
lawmakers to President Joe Biden to secure Gambaryan's release, citing concerns
for his life. The detention of Gambaryan has sparked international attention,
and the visit by Hill and Houlahan may mark a turning point in his case.
Tigran joined Binance, as
VP of Global Intelligence and Investigations. after a distinguished decade-long
career at the IRS-Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI) as a Special Agent. During
his tenure, he investigated various high-profile cases, including national
security threats, terrorism financing, identity theft, child pornography
distribution, tax evasion, and bank secrecy act violations. Tigran's expertise
in leading multi-billion dollar cyber investigations, including the Silk Road
corruption investigations, BTC-e bitcoin exchange, and the Mt. Gox hack, will
be invaluable to Binance.
By: Nana Appiah Acquaye
