Tigran Gambaryan, Binance’s head of financial crime compliance and a former IRS agent, could not attend a Nigerian court hearing on Friday due to his poor health. As a result, the executive’s trial has been postponed to next Friday.
Binance and Gambaryan were both charged by Nigerian authorities with tax evasion and money laundering back in February, although the former charge was later dropped against the executive.
Since then, Gambaryan has been held in custody as his health has deteriorated due to a lack of medical attention, his family said. On Friday, he was set to face the next in a series of hearings for the trial led by Nigeria’s Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFFC).
However, due to his health continuing to worsen, Gambaryan was unable to attend the hearing.
A spokesperson for the Gambaryan family told Decrypt that the executive has not received appropriate treatment, leading to his condition worsening. Alongside a chest infection, Gambaryan’s family said he is suffering from a herniated disc that limits his movement.
During a previous hearing, the Binance executive and U.S. citizen was asked to step forward, but could not independently stand and fell to the floor. Previously, footage surfaced of Gambaryan being refused walking aid by a security guard, leaving him to hobble through the court halls.
Gambaryan was denied a bail request on “medical grounds” last week, despite his family claiming that he met “all the requirements for bail.”
“I cannot believe that it will soon be eight months since my kids and I saw Tigran,” his wife Yuki Gambaryan said in a statement shared with Decrypt. “This whole ordeal has been devastating for our family, and the way Tigran has been treated is so disheartening. My husband is very sick and we are all so tired of this injustice. Please, please just let him come home.”
Gambaryan flew to Nigeria to negotiate with authorities regarding a ban on a number of crypto exchanges in February. During this meeting, he was required to hand over his passport, and was taken into custody alongside his colleague who has since fled the country. Gambaryan remains held in Nigeria as his employer, family, and country have been fighting to bring him home.
At the end of September, the U.S. Congress Foreign Affairs Committee put forward a resolution for Gambaryan’s “immediate release.” This urged the government to declare him as an “unlawfully or wrongfully detained citizen.”
This would be a significant step in bringing the executive home, as it calls into play the same act that helped release WNBA star Brittney Griner from Russia in 2022. However, there has been no movement since the resolution was proposed.
Congressman Rich McCormick, Gambaryan’s representative for the state of Georgia, told Decrypt that the government’s slow response to the situation boils down to what he sees as crypto-related “laziness” and President Joe Biden’s “soft” international policy.
Gambaryan’s next court hearing will take place on Friday, October 25.
Edited by Andrew Hayward
