Binance calls for US intervention as Tigran Gambaryan’s detention marks 6 months

As a seasoned crypto investor with a keen eye for international affairs, I am deeply concerned about the plight of Tigran Gambaryan, a former U.S. federal agent and Binance executive, currently detained under inhumane conditions in Nigeria.


The CEO of Binance, Richard Teng, is advocating for U.S. involvement due to the worsening state of health of Tigran Gambaryan, a Binance executive, who has been detained in Nigeria for six months.

Richard Teng, CEO of Binance, has called upon U.S. officials and international advocates to intervene, as Tigran Gambaryan – a former U.S. federal agent and Binance executive – has been held in Nigeria for six months under increasingly poor conditions. In a statement dated August 27th, Teng highlighted that Gambaryan is experiencing “intense discomfort,” which prevents him from walking due to a “herniated disc.”

“Regardless of his health situation, the Nigerian authorities have not provided him with appropriate medical attention, even essential items like a wheelchair.”

Richard Teng, Binance CEO

In spite of court rulings demanding Gambaryan’s medical records be made available and calls for humane treatment, Nigerian authorities have failed to comply, as stated by Teng. Moreover, he pointed out that this week, the detained Binance executive was prevented from meeting with his U.S. consulate representative.

“It’s unnecessary to jail an innocent employee for accusations linked to Binance. Instead, we have addressed similar concerns in various countries globally, such as the U.S., Thailand, Brazil, and most recently India, by working constructively and peacefully with authorities.”

Richard Teng, Binance CEO

Teng appealed to the U.S. government to leverage its power to obtain Gambaryan’s release based on humanitarian reasons and to express disapproval of Nigeria’s incarceration policies. He encouraged the U.S. administration to identify Tigran as one of their citizens who are unjustly detained abroad.

As reported by Gambaryan’s family through crypto.news, there’s been a restriction preventing his legal team from visiting him in prison from July 26 until August 14. On August 15, they were allowed a brief, five-minute visit.

“On August 15, they were granted a quick five-minute visit, but since then, access has been denied to them. Consequently, his legal representatives cannot ready him for trial, which conflicts with the Nigerian constitution.”

The Gambaryan family

Gambaryan, a U.S. citizen, was apprehended together with his British-Kenyan colleague, Nadeem Anjarwalla, by Nigerian police back in February. This incident took place at the Abuja airport when authorities requested Binance officials to appear in the capital city. Following their arrest, all transactions using the Nigerian currency (naira) and peer-to-peer services on Binance in Nigeria were temporarily halted.

Anjarwalla fled the country in March using a concealed Kenyan passport. Later, reports surfaced saying Nigerian security forces were able to identify the location of the Binance representative, arresting him in Kenya at the request of the Nigerian Bureau of Interpol.

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2024-08-27 13:30