Arriving in Nigeria in February, Gambaryan, a former agent for the U.S. Internal Revenue Service and head of financial crime compliance, and another Binance official, Nadeem Anjarwalla, were arrested under charges of Binance allegedly making unlawful transaction gains locally. On February 28, they were charged criminalistically. Later on March 22, Anjarwalla escaped from jail.

According to Gambaryan’s family, his health is fast failing. They reported he had a ruptured disk, pneumonia, and is “mostly bedridden.”

Introduced by Republican Representatives Rich McCormick and French Hill in July, H.Res. 1348 passed by voice vote Tuesday during a hearing. During a Tuesday hearing, McCormick asked the U.S. State Department to “use all available assets, all means, to secure his release” and formally declare that Gambaryan is being “wrongly detained,” and demanded the Nigerian government to release him and grant him “unrestricted medical care.”

“Tigran is suffering, not to mention his wife and two small children waiting at home for his return,” McCormick said. “This is no way for an American citizen to be treated by the custody of a foreign government, especially one that’s supposed to be our ally and partner in the region.”

Top Democrat of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, Rep. Gregory Meeks, said the U.S. government had contacted the Nigerian government to release Gambaryan and expressed dismay about the nation’s response.

“I know that the State Department is fully engaged in Mr. Gambaryan’s case, and they are weighing the facts according to their process,” Meeks said in favor of the resolution. “But regardless of how that process unfolds, we have to keep pushing the Nigerian government.”

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The June 6 letter directed to Secretary of State Antony Blinken said, “The U.S. government’s efforts to date have been totally lacking; the consequences of further inaction are possibly dire.”

Related: Nigerian Court Denies Bail to Binance’s Tigran Gambaryan

Former government authorities honored Gambaryan’s ten-year service to the country as a Special Agent with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS).

“Several of us worked alongside Tigran during these cases and saw his relentless dedication to the rule of law firsthand,” it said, then enumerated the several cases he has previously worked on, ranging from child pornography and terrorism funding to identity theft and even “the Silk Road public corruption cases.”

According to the cohort, Tigran is presently under custody on “false charges” in regard to tax evasion and money laundering; his position at Binance should not see him bearing accountability for the company’s activities.

“He is absolutely innocent of these charges and, as a mid-tier employee at Binance, does not hold a position that makes him an appropriate stand-in for the company,” it said.

Tigran visited Nigeria in January to have conversations with Nigerian regulators on financial compliance alongside other Binance staff members.

Following the conference, Nigerian officials approached them, asking for a “substantial payment” to resolve claimed Binance compliance concerns.

Not sure about their safety, they left the nation right away. Just one month later, Tigran was invited back to the nation, apparently when his “passport was confiscated and he was arrested.”

Suspected of tax evasion and money laundering, the Nigerian government detained Gambaryan and Nadeem Anjarwalla in February. Anjarwalla escaped incarceration and went to Kenya; Gambaryan stayed in the Kuje prison in Abuja, Nigeria.

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Nigerian news source The Nation reports that Nwite agreed with the prosecution’s contention that Gambaryan was a flight risk in a decision made on Friday. It is reported that the judge said in his decision that the nature and gravity of the offense should be taken into account when determining whether or not to provide the prisoner with bail.

The chief of financial crime compliance at Binance started his trial on a $35 million money laundering charge on Friday.

Since arriving in Nigeria in late February, Gambaryan has been detained. He came into the nation to talk to the authorities about the functioning of the bitcoin exchange.

Related: Binance CEO Richard Teng Demands Release of Gambaryan

While the Federal Inland Revenue Service of Nigeria is handling the tax violation accusation, the Nigerian Economic and Financial Crimes Commission is prosecuting the money laundering case. On April 8, Gambaryan entered a not guilty plea to the money laundering accusation.

In response to the latest event, a Binance representative stated to The Block, “We are really concerned that Tigran Gambaryan—who lacks decision-making authority within the company—remains in custody. Tigran has spent the majority of his life serving the people and battling criminals. These accusations are totally without any basis. While talks between Binance and Nigerian government authorities continue, he ought to be set free.”

Speaking out on Gambaryan’s continued imprisonment, Binance CEO Richard Teng declared that the compliance officer of the cryptocurrency exchange is “innocent and must be released.”

Following their arrival in Abuja, the capital city of Nigeria, on February 26, Binance’s Africa regional manager Nadeem Anjarwalla and U.S. citizen Gambaryan, who is in charge of financial crime compliance at the cryptocurrency exchange, were arrested. They were charged criminally with money laundering and tax evasion on February 28. Anjarwalla then managed to get out of jail on March 22.

Teng said in a blog entry earlier this month, “To invite a company’s mid-level employees for collaborative policy meetings, only to detain them, has set a dangerous new precedent for all companies worldwide.”

The post Nigerian Court Denies Bail to Binance’s Tigran Gambaryan appeared first on Coin Engineer.

Prosecutors in Nigeria accused Binance of profiting from illegal transactions in the country and detained Gambaryan, a US citizen who oversees financial crime compliance at the cryptocurrency exchange, and Nadeem Anjarwalla, Binance’s Africa regional manager, after they arrived in Abuja, the capital city of Nigeria, on February 26. On February 28, they became subject to criminal charges. On March 22, Anjarwalla managed to get himself out of jail.

A blog post by Teng early Tuesday warned that the practice of inviting and then detaining middle-level staff for the purpose of holding collaborative policy sessions has created a “dangerous new precedent” for businesses throughout the world.

70 Days Detained: Gambaryan Fights for Freedom

Gambaryan has “devoted his professional life to fighting financial crimes,” according to Teng, and he used to be a Special Agent for the US IRS. According to Teng, he helped global law enforcement freeze and seize over $2.2 billion worth of assets, including over $285 million in cooperation with U.S. agencies like the FBI, DOJ, and DEA, after being hired by Binance in 2021 to assist the exchange in building stronger compliance controls.

“Neither “decision-maker” nor “negotiator” were Tigran’s stated goals when he traveled to Nigeria. In policy conversations, he was only presenting himself as a specialist in financial crime and capacity building, the CEO of Binance noted.

For almost 70 days, the Nigerian government has unlawfully detained my colleague and friend, Tigran Gambaryan. According to Teng’s post on X, they are working relentlessly to #BringTigranHome.

The 1st defendant (Binance) is working virtually,” a prosecutor from Nigeria’s Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) allegedly told the court at Gambaryan’s bail hearing on April 25, according to Teng’s claims. “This defendant (Tigran) is all we have left.”

“The Nigerian government has made it very clear that they want to seize control of Binance at any cost, and the only way to do it is to hold an innocent middle-level employee and a former U.S. federal agent in a dangerous prison,” Teng said.

After assuming the role of Binance CEO in November, Teng stated his intention to collaborate with international enforcement agencies and regulators, reorganize the company, and bring in new executives with compliance expertise, such as Gambaryan, in order to “dramatically” transform the company. Zhao had previously served as CEO of Binance.

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