The family of Tigran Gambaryan, an executive from Binance who is jailed in Nigeria for money laundering, says, “he can’t walk anymore.”
The family is asking the Nigerian government to let him go because he is very sick.
In a statement sent to Newslodge on August 26, 2024, the family said that Tigran has been in jail for six months. He has a really bad back pain from a herniated disc and isn’t getting proper medical care in Nigeria.
EFCC’s Case against Binance and Its Executives
The Nigerian government accused Binance and its people, including Tigran Gambaryan and Nadeem Anjarwalla, of hiding money from their illegal activities in Nigeria. They claimed this money totaled $35,400,000.
- On July 30, 2024, a judge in Abuja, Justice Emeka Nwite, wanted a medical doctor, Abraham Ehizojie, to provide Tigran’s medical report in court. When he didn’t show up, the judge issued a warrant for his arrest.
- Earlier, Justice Nwite had asked the Nigerian Correctional Service doctor to bring Tigran’s medical reports. He warned the correctional service not to ignore his orders.
- This happened after Tigran’s lawyer talked about his health problems and mentioned that Tigran had to appear in court in a wheelchair.
The EFCC lawyer, Ekene Iheanacho, told the judge that they expected the medical officer to be in court for the case.
The judge also said that Tigran should be taken to Nizamiye Hospital for a full medical check-up, with security, at any time he wanted.
The next court date for continuing the trial is October 11, 2024.
What The Family Is Saying
On August 26, 2024, it was exactly six months since Tigran Gambaryan, a former U.S. federal agent who now works for Binance, was put in jail by Nigerian officials, according to a statement from his family.
The family said Tigran has not been allowed to see his lawyers from July 26th to August 14th, 2024. This is against the Nigerian constitution.
“In jail, Tigran is not getting the right medical care and has so much back pain that he can’t walk anymore. He has to stay in bed and take blood thinners to avoid blood clots. The prison doctor said his muscles have become weak. He got a short 5-minute visit on August 15th, but since then, he hasn’t been allowed to see anyone again.”
“The U.S. Embassy can’t visit him anymore because he isn’t allowed to use a wheelchair and can’t walk to the visitor area,” the statement said.
The statement also mentioned that a request was made to have the case heard during recess, and it was approved. The next hearing is on September 2, 2024.
Tigran’s wife, Yuki, asked the government to release her husband.
“It has been six months since I last hugged my husband, and our children last held his hand.”
“Tigran, my husband, who used to be a U.S. federal agent, has been in a Nigerian jail for six months now. He’s so sick that he can’t walk, and he’s not allowed to use a wheelchair.”
“For six months, we have begged everyone. We begged the U.S. government, the Nigerian government, the media, and anyone who would listen. My husband is innocent and needs to be let go before it’s too late and his health gets worse. Six months is too long. Please help me bring my husband home,” Yuki said.
More Insights
A director from the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) told the court that Binance is now a big part of how Nigeria decides its exchange rates.
- The SEC is a government agency that takes care of registering anyone or anything related to the capital market.
- The SEC also makes the rules for the market, investigates issues, enforces compliance, and monitors the market.
- Many people in Nigeria buy and sell crypto through Peer-to-Peer (P2P) transactions, which connect buyers and sellers like a marketplace.
- Binance and its executives face two lawsuits from the FIRS and the EFCC. The FIRS case is about tax evasion, and the EFCC case is about money laundering and forex violations.
- The FIRS has dropped its case against the executives.
- The executives have also filed a case for their fundamental rights, saying the Nigerian government violated their right to liberty.
Two senior Binance executives were detained on February 28: Nadeem Anjarwalla, a 37-year-old British-Kenyan, and Tigran Gambaryan, a 39-year-old American.
Tigran’s family is worried about his health and wants the EFCC to let him go and pursue its case with Binance itself.