Binance: 16 Republican congressmen accuse Nigeria of holding Gambaryan hostage, seek Biden’s help

A radical of U.S. lawmakers has sent a missive to President Joe Biden urging him to assistance successful the instrumentality of Tigran Gambaryan, the Binance enforcement who has been detained successful Nigeria for astir 3 months.

A US citizen, Gambaryan is caput of fiscal transgression compliance astatine Binance and has been held astatine a situation successful the Nigerian capital, Abuja, since April.

Binance and Gambaryan are facing wealth laundering and taxation evasion charges successful Nigeria.

Sixteen Republican congressmen including Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee Michael McCaul wrote to Biden to person the lawsuit of Tigran Gambaryan referred to the Office of the Special Presidential Envoy for Hostage Affairs.

In the letter, they urged the president to dainty Gambaryan’s lawsuit arsenic a hostage concern and spot to his instrumentality backmost to the U.S.

“We fearfulness for his life. Immediate enactment is indispensable to guarantee his information and sphere his life. We indispensable enactment swiftly earlier it is excessively late,” they said.

Gambaryan and different institution executive, Nadeem Anjarwalla, were detained by Nigerian officials aft they were invited to resoluteness a quality with the crypto exchange. Anjarwalla managed to escape, but Gambaryan has been successful Nigeria since then.

In May, Gambaryan slumped astatine the Federal High Court Abuja during the wealth laundering proceedings against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

His attorney, Mark Mordi, explained that his lawsuit had been unwell and that a written exertion had been submitted to pass the tribunal of his condition, stressing that Gambaryan had been indisposed since the past proceedings date.

Following his illness successful court, Mordi requested an adjournment to let his lawsuit to person due aesculapian attraction due to the fact that it would beryllium intolerable to proceed with the lawsuit nether the circumstances.

Justice Emeka Nwite who had antecedently denied Gambaryan’s bail exertion connected May 16, citing the EFCC’s grounds that helium mightiness fly if released connected bail, subsequently, fixed June 20 and 21 for cross-examination and trial.