Tigran Gambaryan, a Binance executive who is detained, must be released, according to Richard Teng.
Following a new statement this week by the CEO of the cryptocurrency exchange, Richard Teng, highlighting the “dire” state of detained Binance executive Tigran Gambaryan, pressure is growing on the Nigerian government to release him.
Binance Executive In Worsening Health, Richard Teng Says
According to a blog post published this week by Teng, Gambaryan’s health has “deteriorated rapidly” as the crypto exchange compliance chief marks six months in detainment.
Today marks 6 months since Tigran was unjustly detained. He is denied proper medical treatment & legal counsel.
— Richard Teng (@_RichardTeng) August 27, 2024
We appeal to the Nigerian government on humanitarian grounds to allow Tigran to return home for urgent medical care & reunite with his family.https://t.co/AKTij48o4U
Before his trial on September 2 on money laundering charges that appear to be connected to his employment at the digital asset exchange, Teng states that Gambaryan is currently “unable to walk due to a herniated disc” and is in “severe pain.”
The CEO of Binance claims that Gambaryan has not been allowed to see his attorney or the representative of the US consulate in spite of the ongoing legal dispute.
Despite being under a court order to do so, the Nigerian government reportedly withheld the release of Gambaryan’s medical records for a number of months.
“I appeal once again for the Nigerian government to allow him to return home to his family on humanitarian grounds so that he can seek the appropriate medical treatment in the US, recover, and get back to the healthy, active life he previously had,” Teng said. “I am deeply concerned about the long-term, potentially irreversible physical and mental impact this horrific episode is having on Tigran.”
After allegedly breaking Nigerian law, Gambaryan and fellow Binance employee Nadeem Anjarwalla were arrested in late February. However, there are still concerns about the veracity of Nigeria’s claims regarding the digital asset employees.
Will Tigran Gambaryan Be Granted Release?
According to reports, the two had been promised “safe passage” and were in the nation for a series of discussions with government officials about crypto policy.
The crypto worker’s condition swiftly deteriorated after his unexpected arrest.
When French Hill (R-LA) and Cynthia Houlahan, two US lawmakers, visited Gambaryan in June, they discovered that he had two illnesses: double pneumonia and malaria.
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
“Tigran is a proud American who should not be subject to such unjust treatment,” Teng continued. “It is my sincere hope that the American government and political apparatus can exert its political will and muscle to bring Tigran home soon, so that he can get the adequate treatment and be reunited with his family and loved ones. The US administration and legislators have the power to designate Tigran as one of its “unlawfully detained” citizens overseas and there are substantial reasons to do so.”