Two U.S. congressmen, Rich McCormick and French Hill, have submitted a bill to the House Committee on Foreign Affairs demanding that the Nigerian government release Binance executive Tigran Gambaryan.
The bill was titled “Urging the Government of Nigeria to release Binance employee Tigran Gambaryan from imprisonment immediately,” and Rep. McCormick urged the US government to declare the detention of Gambaryan in Nigeria as a hostage situation.
Rep. Hill added that he visited Gambaryan at Kuje Prison in Nigeria with Chrissy Houlahan, and noticed that his health was deteriorating. According to his report, Gambaryan is suffering from malaria and double pneumonia, which had led to a significant weight loss. The US authorities demand the release of the Binance executive to receive urgent medical care in America.
Rep. McCormick added in the bill, “The continued detention of Tigran Gambaryan in Nigeria is a clear violation of his rights and a grave injustice. We urge the Nigerian government to immediately release him and provide him with medical care and due process rights. The United States Government must do everything in its power to secure the release of one of our citizens wrongfully detained abroad.”
The congressmen stressed the importance of prompt action, recommending an immediate release due to Gambaryan’s alleged health conditions. If the authorities don’t release the Binance executive by July, the court will have to adjourn the case until September or October, as the court schedules a break from mid-July to September.
Nigeria Arrests Binance Executives
Upon arriving in the country on February 26, the Nigerian government arrested two Binance executives, Nadeem Anjarwalla and Tigran Gambaryan.
Following their arrest, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) filed a four-count charge against Binance, accusing the crypto exchange of tax evasion and money laundering, a similar issue the platform’s founder Changpeng Zhao was sentenced for.
As a result of the arrest, Binance stopped allowing transactions with the Nigerian naira currency on its platform in early March.
One of the executives, Anjarwalla, managed to escape but the Nigerian government worked with Kenyan authorities and arrested him in Kenya. The authorities will extradite him to Nigeria to face trial.
Meanwhile, Gambaryan’s continued detention is contingent upon Nigeria’s compliance with the demands of the US congressmen.
