American diplomats are exerting pressure on Nigeria to liberate Binance executive Tigran Gambaryan.
The United States government is exerting pressure on Nigeria to release Tigran Gambaryan, a former law enforcement officer and executive of Binance, who has been under arrest since February.
For months, there have been allegations that Tigran is experiencing severe health issues in prison after being apprehended during a business trip to Nigeria.
Currently, US diplomats are advocating for his release on humanitarian grounds. The detention of Tigran has resulted in a strain on diplomatic relations between the two nations. In May, Secretary of State Antony Blinken personally discussed the matter with his Nigerian counterpart.
Richard Mills, the United States Ambassador to Nigeria, has also engaged in private discussions with Nigerian officials, including President Bola Tinubu and senior members of his administration.
At present, Tigran is primarily incapacitated and may require surgery due to his deteriorating health. In February, Tigran travelled to Nigeria to participate in meetings regarding Binance’s operations in the country.
The government accused Binance of contributing to the depreciation of its national currency, the naira, by enabling users to transmit funds outside of the country. This appears to have had a negative impact on the economy of the nation.
Consequently, prosecutors indicted Tigran and Binance for money laundering and tax evasion. Despite the removal of the tax allegations, the money laundering charges persist.
Binance has categorically denied these allegations, asserting that Tigran is a mid-level employee and should not be held accountable for the company’s overall operations. One might anticipate that this would be apparent.
Tigran possessed no authority to make decisions that affected anything. Binance stated in a statement that it had “great respect” for the Nigerian government and that they are currently in the process of continuing discussions to resolve the matter.
In 2021, Tigran became a member of Binance. He was responsible for the coordination of law enforcement agencies worldwide and the management of compliance operations in order to combat crypto-based crimes.
Tigran was transferred to Kuje prison in Abuja following his detention. This facility is renowned for holding some of the most dangerous individuals, including members of the Islamic State and Boko Haram.
A contributing factor to Tigran’s declining health has been the prison’s conditions. His family, who have been advocating for his release, has disclosed that he currently relies on a single support to walk and is grappling with the repercussions of a herniated disc injury that has been present for a decade.
Also Read: Grayscale Establishes a New Trust for XRP
