Lawmakers in the US have submitted a resolution in Congress to secure the release of Binance executive Tigran Gambaryan, who has been in jail in Nigeria since February.
US Lawmakers Want Binance Exec Freed from Nigerian Prison
Republican congressmen Rich McCormick and French Hill want the US government to view Gambaryan as a hostage. The resolution states that he has been “wrongfully detained abroad” and that his current situation is a “clear violation of his rights and a grave injustice”. Gambaryan is a US citizen.
The move comes five months after Gambaryan was jailed and then charged for manipulating the forex market and illegally concealing the origin of $35m. He was one of two Binance executives detained for money laundering; colleague Nadeem Anjarwalla managed to escape custody and left Nigeria in March.
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Concerns about Gambaryan’s health have now prompted calls from lawmakers to secure his release. Rep Hill, who visited the defendant in the Nigerian prison last month, says he needs urgent medical care, while his family has claimed that he is “suffering immensely”. The Binance exec collapsed in court in May during a bout of Malaria.
The two lawmakers bringing the resolution also want the “fabricated” charges thrown out. The Federal Inland Service in Nigeria has already dropped a direct tax violation charge against Binance. While officials in the African country have refuted claims that Gambaryan’s condition is deteriorating, his wife welcomed the resolution. She said:
I appreciate Congressional focus on obtaining Tigran’s immediate release from custody in Nigeria and Representative McCormick’s continued attention to Tigran’s plight.
