A Nigerian court has dropped charges and authorized the release of Binance executive Tigran Gambaryan, who had been detained in the country since February.
Tigran Gambaryan, head of financial crime compliance at Binance and a former IRS agent, was freed due to health concerns, according to a Bloomberg report. The executive had been in custody for eight months after traveling to Nigeria to discuss the ban on several crypto trading platforms. During his visit, Gambaryan was asked to surrender his passport and was taken into custody, while Binance’s regional manager for Africa, Nadeem Anjarwalla, escaped detention and left the country within a month.
While in custody, Gambaryan’s health worsened significantly, suffering from malaria, a chest infection, and a herniated disc that affected his mobility. His family and U.S. officials expressed concerns that he wasn’t receiving proper medical care, which led to his condition deteriorating. Despite these concerns, Nigerian authorities insisted that Gambaryan’s health was “fine.”
In July, U.S. Congressman Rep. French Hill (R-AR) visited TigranGambaryan in prison and reported that his health was “deteriorating.” By August, his family described his condition as “shockingly bad,” with concerns that his herniated disc required specialized surgery unavailable in Nigeria. Gambaryan collapsed during a court hearing, unable to stand without assistance, and his trial was delayed multiple times due to his declining health.
Two weeks ago, Gambaryan was denied bail on “medical grounds,” though his family claimed he met the criteria. His next hearing was set for October 25, but with the charges now dropped, this will no longer take place.
U.S. officials had been pushing for his release throughout his eight-month detention, with some calling for Tigran Gambaryan to be classified as “unlawfully or wrongfully detained,” similar to the case of WNBA star Brittney Griner in Russia. Congressman Rich McCormick, Gambaryan’s representative for Georgia, criticized the U.S. government’s response, blaming crypto-related “laziness” and Biden’s “soft” international policy for the slow resolution of the case.
