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The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) of Nigeria claimed that Binance along with the two employees laundered up to $35 million through its platform.
More than 100 former United States federal prosecutors and agents have joined forces to advocate for the release of Tigran Gambaryan, the head of financial crimes and compliance at Binance, who is currently detained in Nigeria.
In a letter addressed to Secretary of State Antony Blinken on June 6, the group expressed grave concerns about Gambaryan’s situation and called on the US Department of State to take immediate action.
The appeal was initially started by a few US lawmakers and signed by Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee Michael McCaul (R-TX) and 15 other Members of Congress on Tuesday, requesting the government to act immediately to secure the release of Gambaryan.
A Call for Release of Binance Exec
Two days later, about 108 former government officials including feds and prosecutors joined the rally. The advocates claimed that the Binance executive has been denied basic healthcare in the Kuje Correctional Centre in Abuja, the nation’s capital, where he has been held for the past three months.
The former prosecutors also asserted that the US government has not made enough effort to secure the release of Gambaryan and further inaction by the government could be potentially dire. They claimed his life was in danger in the prison and the government needed to act fast.
Authorities also referenced his services to the United States as a basis for demanding the release.
According to the letter, the Binance executive has served the country diligently for over a decade as a former Special Agent with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) before taking up the role of head of financial crimes and compliance at Binance.
The former prosecutors also praised his commitment to upholding the rule of law citing his involvement in numerous high-profile cases, ranging from child pornography and terrorism financing to identity theft and public corruption investigations related to the notorious Silk Road.
He is Completely Innocent
The letter strongly refuted the charges of money laundering and tax evasion leveled against Gambaryan by the Nigerian government, asserting his innocence and arguing that his position at Binance should not make him a scapegoat for the company’s actions.
“He is completely innocent of these charges and, as a mid-tier employee at Binance, does not hold a role that makes him an appropriate stand-in for the company,” the letter reads. The ordeal began in January when Gambaryan and other Binance representatives traveled to Nigeria for discussions on financial compliance. Following the meeting, Gambaryan and others were invited back to the country to settle some financial payments regarding the discussed regulatory issues.
The meeting went haywire and his passport was confiscated. He was subsequently detained by Nigerian authorities in February along with Nadeem Anjarwalla, the regional manager of Binance operations in Africa.
Court Denies Bail for Gambaryan
The two were arrested on the suspicion of money laundering and tax evasion. The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) of Nigeria claimed that Binance along with the two employees laundered up to $35 million through its platform.
During this period, Anjarwalla managed to escape from the Kuje correctional center and fled to Kenya, his home country while Gambaryan remained detained.
In May, the court rejected bail application for Gambaryan citing travel risk as the reason for the denial. The judge presiding over the case, justice Emeka Nwite claimed that Gambaryan would try to go back to the US if granted bail.
He also stated that the Binance executive had previously tried to get another passport while still in prison to flee the country just like his colleague did.
Following the denial, Binance CEO Richard Teng revealed in a blog post that Gambaryan was detained because he refused to pay $150 million in cryptocurrencies to the Nigerian government to address the compliance issues related to Binance.
However, the Nigerian government had since denied the allegation, calling it false.
