US Government 'Must Do More' to Help Jailed Binance Exec in Nigeria, Wife Says

By Will McCurdy

The wife of a senior Binance executive accused of laundering $35 million in Nigeria has issued a plea for the U.S. government to intervene in what she considered to be the unlawful detention of her husband, Tigran Gambaryan.

Gambaryan, a former IRS agent, has been held in a Nigerian jail since February on money laundering charges. Gambaryan’s health has deteriorated while in jail, but a Nigerian court denied his request for bail in May, citing flight risk concerns.

“The U.S. government must do more to help Tigran. I urge them to use every available tool to free an innocent American who is at risk of permanent damage,” Yuki Gambaryan, Tigran’s wife, said in a statement released today. “I am also deeply concerned about recent statements from Nigerian authorities denying Tigran's health issues,” she added.

Yuki Gambaryan’s calls echo those of current Binance CEO Richard Teng, who last week likewise called for U.S. intervention in Tigran’s case. U.S. Congressmen French Hill (R-AR) and Rich McCormik (R-GA) submitted a House resolution in July urging their colleagues in Congress to formally recognize Gambaryan as a hostage.

Gambaryan spent 10 years as an agent for the IRS, according to his LinkedIn profile, before becoming Binance’s head of financial crime compliance after joining the company in 2021. Nigerian authorities have charged Gambaryan with money laundering while simultaneously accusing Binance, the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchange by volume, of tax evasion.

The Sub-Saharan African country alleged Binance, which was highly popular in Nigeria, had a role in crashing the country’s currency, the naira, which has displayed extreme volatility this year. BBC News reported in March that the Nigerian government demanded almost $10 billion in compensation from the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchange. 

Gambaryan's lawyers say he should be released on medical grounds on account of a herniated disc that left him immobile, as well as several severe bouts with malaria. He at one point even collapsed in court. His lawyers also say his herniated disc requires specialized surgery to treat. 

However, Nigeria’s Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, which handles money laundering cases, claims Gambaryan has had a herniated disc for over a decade and dismissed the Binance exec's health complaints as overblown.

"This situation is entirely unjust,” Yuki Gambaryan said in her statement. “My husband was unlawfully detained by the Nigerian government after being invited under false pretenses for a meeting in their country.”

Yuki Gambatyan claimed that her husband’s health has worsened while in jail and that “he is in so much pain that he can barely walk.” She says the prison has withheld the executive's medical records for months and that partial records it released today conclude that Tigran needs surgery. 

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