Tigran Gambaryan’s health is failing behind bars and Binance CEO is not staying silent any longer.
Binance CEO Richard Teng revealed that his team has been working relentlessly to bring Tigran Gambaryan back to the U.S. as his health rapidly deteriorates while imprisoned in Nigeria.
According to the latest crypto news, Gambaryan, Binance’s head of financial crime compliance, was detained after traveling to Nigeria in February, initially invited by the government to address compliance concerns.
We have appealed to the Nigerian government repeatedly to release Tigran […] so that he can go home and get the proper medical treatment that he needs.”
What began as professional meetings quickly soured, leading to Gambaryan’s arrest, and he’s now being held in the infamous Kuje Prison, notorious for its harsh conditions.
Teng described the situation as urgent and distressing, particularly given Gambaryan’s worsening health. Since his detention, Gambaryan has contracted malaria and pneumonia twice, with his condition becoming so severe that he collapsed during a court appearance in May.
He is reportedly struggling to walk and is not receiving the medical care he desperately needs. Teng expressed frustration over the injustice, stating, “There’s no reason to hold him. He’s being held unfairly.”
Binance has appealed to the Nigerian government multiple times, urging them to release Gambaryan on humanitarian grounds so he can receive the necessary medical treatment.
Teng hopes that the U.S. will officially designate Gambaryan as unlawfully detained, which could expedite the process. Internally, Binance has formed a task force working around the clock on legal and political strategies to secure his release.
Support for Gambaryan has also come from 12 U.S. politicians, who, in June, called on President Joe Biden, Secretary of State Antony Blinken, and the Presidential Envoy for Hostage Affairs to prioritize the case.
These officials, along with Gambaryan’s mother, argue that the charges against him—such as money laundering and tax evasion—are baseless and part of an extortion attempt by Nigerian authorities to pressure Binance.
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Amid this crisis, Teng remains hopeful that Binance can still play a key role in Nigeria’s economic future. The exchange handles 32% of all cryptocurrency transactions in the country, which ranks second globally in crypto adoption, according to a September 2023 Chainalysis report. Despite the challenges, Binance’s commitment to Nigeria’s future remains strong.
