Lawmakers Urge US Action for Binance Exec Detained in Nigeria

Highlights:

• Reps. Hill and McCormick urge the U.S. to classify Binance exec Tigran Gambaryan’s detention in Nigeria as a hostage situation.
• Gambaryan’s health has severely deteriorated in Nigerian custody, diagnosed with pneumonia and malaria.
• Sixteen Congress members and ex-federal prosecutors support Gambaryan’s immediate release and return to the US.

In a resolution submitted to Congress, Reps. French Hill and Rich McCormick have called for the release of  Binance exec Tigran Gambaryan from Nigerian custody. Gambaryan, a Binance executive and head of financial crime compliance, has been detained in Nigeria since February 2024. According to the statement, the lawmakers are urging the US government to treat his detention as a hostage situation.

Rep. McCormick emphasized the urgency of Gambaryan’s release, citing severe health deterioration in custody. He called the detention a violation of rights and urged the Nigerian government to release Gambaryan immediately. The resolution, forwarded to the House Committee on Foreign Affairs, demands that the US government take all necessary measures to secure Gambaryan’s release.

🚨NEW: Legislation was introduced in the House today by @RepMcCormick titled "Urging the Government of Nigeria to immediately release @binance employee Tigran Gambaryan from imprisonment."

McCormick is Gambaryan's rep. in his home state of Georgia.https://t.co/ZoxAVjr4gD

— Eleanor Terrett (@EleanorTerrett) July 11, 2024

Background and Charges

Nigeria’s Economic Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) detained Gambaryan and his colleague Nadeem Anjarwalla on money laundering charges involving $35 million and manipulating the foreign exchange market. Anjarwalla escaped custody and fled the country, leaving Gambaryan to face the charges alone. Initially, tax evasion charges were also filed against Binance and the executives, but these were dropped by Nigeria’s Federal Inland Revenue Service.

Hill and McCormick argue that Gambaryan is being unfairly targeted instead of his employer. During a court hearing, Nigerian officials indicated that Gambaryan was the only leverage they had, leading Hill to label the charges as “fabricated.” The resolution calls for Gambaryan’s immediate release and return to the US.

Health Concerns and Family Appeal

Rep. Hill visited Gambaryan in prison and reported his deteriorating health condition. Gambaryan received a diagnosis of malaria and double pneumonia and complained of numbness and back pain. Despite Nigerian officials’ claims that he is fine, Gambaryan’s family insists that his health is in grave danger. His wife, Yuki, launched a petition for his extradition, gathering nearly 5,000 signatures.

Yesterday, @RepHoulahan and I visited with US citizen Tigran Gambaryan in Kuje Prison in Nigeria. We found him suffering from the conditions there, as he has malaria and double pneumonia, and he reports that he has lost significant weight. Even worse, he's being denied access to… pic.twitter.com/OKEHMXxuF4

— French Hill (@RepFrenchHill) June 20, 2024

Yuki Gambaryan expressed deep concern about her husband’s health, hoping that the US government’s involvement would expedite his release. She emphasized the need for proper medical care, stating, “He needs to be freed right now.”

Congressional and Public Support

The resolution by Reps. Hill and McCormick have garnered significant support from other US lawmakers. Sixteen members of Congress sent a letter to the White House, urging President Joe Biden and Secretary of State Antony Blinken to address Gambaryan’s detention. The letter highlighted the situation’s urgency, especially with the Nigerian court set to go on break from mid-July to September.

Sixteen members of Congress have sent a letter to President Biden asking him to treat Nigeria's jailing of Binance exec Tigran Gambaryan—a former IRS investigator with perhaps the best record of fighting cryptocurrency crime of any federal agent—as an urgent hostage situation. pic.twitter.com/rQgNLYPDPp

— Andy Greenberg (@agreenberg at the other places) (@a_greenberg) June 5, 2024

Ex-federal prosecutors and agents have also rallied behind Gambaryan, sending a letter to Secretary Blinken. They noted Gambaryan’s decade-long service at the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and argued against the validity of the charges.