U.S. pressure mounts on Nigeria over Binance executive’s detention

A group of 108 former United State federal prosecutors and agents have signed a public letter to U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken urging the government to help secure the release of Tigran Gambaryan, Binance’s compliance head, held in Nigeria.

They former officials criticize the U.S. government’s failure to help the American citizen and warn of dire consequences if action is not taken, Axios reported.

This follows a similar letter earlier this week by U.S. lawmakers asking President Joe Biden to intervene, adding pressure on the Nigerian government which has held the Binance executive since February.

In their letter, 16 Congress members accused the Nigerian government to detaining Mr Gambaryan as a chip to extort his employer, an allegation the government denied.

Mr Gambaryan is a former special agent with the U.S. Internal Revenue Service.

As Binance’s head of financial crime compliance, he and his colleague, Nadeem Anjarwall, travelled to Nigeria on the invitation of the government, and were detained. Mr Anjarwall later escaped.

The Nigerian government accuses the cryptocurrency executives of contributing to a crash of the naira and charged them with tax evasion and money laundering.

Mr Gambaryan has pleaded not guilty to all charges. He collapsed during court proceedings in May.

New Letter

The letter by the former agents, reportedly spearheaded by investor and Coinbase board member Katie Haun, stresses that Mr Gambaryan is being held at Kuje, a prison that has “historically housed Nigeria’s worst criminals,” referring to terrorists, including members of the Islamist jihadist group Boko Haram

They call Mr Gambaryan’s captivity “not only unjust but inhumane,” adding that, in addition to not receiving adequate medical care, he has not been allowed to speak with his lawyers or family.

“A former U.S. federal agent has been effectively held hostage in deplorable conditions for nearly three months by a foreign power in an apparent attempt to compel his employer to settle a matter that does not implicate him,” the authors wrote.

“We implore you to leverage the full power of U.S. diplomacy to do the just thing by demanding and securing Tigran’s immediate release back to his family and the country he has so honourably served.”