Bitget App
Trade smarter
Buy cryptoMarketsTradeFuturesCopyBotsEarn
Ex-Prosecutors Join Push for White House Support in Binance Exec’s Nigeria Detention Case

Ex-Prosecutors Join Push for White House Support in Binance Exec’s Nigeria Detention Case

Cryptonews2024/06/07 06:46
By:Shalini Nagarajan
Ex-Prosecutors Join Push for White House Support in Binance Exec’s Nigeria Detention Case image 0

Over 100 former US law enforcement officials penned a letter to Secretary Blinken, calling on the State Department to take stronger action to free Tigran Gambaryan , a Binance executive detained in Nigeria.

It comes just a day after 16 members of Congress sent a similar letter , adding to the State Department’s pressure.

The letter highlighted Gambaryan’s role as a family man with two young children. It also points to his decade-long US Internal Revenue Service Special Agent career. Axios reported that investor and Coinbase board member Katie Haun initiated the letter.

Binance Execs Caught in Nigeria Standoff


In Jan. 2024, Gambaryan, along with other Binance staff, went to Nigeria for a meeting with government officials to talk about financial regulations. However, Binance’s CEO Richard Teng claims a Nigerian official tried to strong-arm the crypto exchange representatives into a secret bribery deal . This deal would supposedly resolve accusations the Nigerian government made against Binance.

After the unsettling meeting in Nigeria, Binance representatives, including Gambaryan, left the country due to safety concerns. Despite this, in Feb. 2024, at the Nigerian government’s invitation and with assurances of safety, Gambaryan returned to Nigeria along with fellow colleague Nadeem Anjarwalla to resume discussions about following financial rules.

Things got messier in March. Both executives were unexpectedly held in Nigeria for two weeks. They were then slapped with accusations of money laundering and tax evasion.

Anjarwalla, a British-Kenyan dual national, allegedly left the country in March using a hidden Kenyan passport. Meanwhile, Gambaryan, still in Nigeria, entered a not guilty plea to money laundering charges during a court appearance in April.

Ex-Prosecutors Declare Gambaryan’s Innocence and Demand Urgent Action


The ex-prosecutors wrote that Gambaryan is “completely innocent.” His mid-level position at Binance doesn’t make him a high-enough ranking official to represent the company in this situation, they added.

They also mentioned the he’s being held at Kuje Prison, known for housing dangerous criminals.

To emphasize the need for immediate action, the ex-prosecutors pointed to his declining health, including fainting in court, possibly due to malaria.

0

Disclaimer: The content of this article solely reflects the author's opinion and does not represent the platform in any capacity. This article is not intended to serve as a reference for making investment decisions.

PoolX: Locked for new tokens.
APR up to 10%. Always on, always get airdrop.
Lock now!

You may also like

Pump.fun suspends livestream feature amid backlash

pump.fun’s anonymous founder said they would work to protect users from seeing “repulsive/dangerous content”

Blockworks2024/11/26 08:33

Spot bitcoin ETFs end positive streak with $438 million outflows; BTC dips to $94,500

U.S. spot bitcoin ETFs reported a total daily outflow of $438 million on Monday.Monday’s net outflow ended a five-day streak of net inflows that brought $3.4 billion into the spot bitcoin ETFs.Meanwhile, bitcoin has retraced some of its gains over the past few days, now trading at around $94,500.

The Block2024/11/26 07:08