Binance CEO Richard Teng has called on U.S. authorities and international advocates to intervene as Tigran Gambaryan, a former U.S. federal agent and Binance executive, marks six months in detention in Nigeria under worsening conditions.
In a statement issued on August 27, Teng highlighted that Gambaryan is suffering from severe pain due to a herniated disc, which has left him unable to walk.
“Despite his critical condition, the Nigerian government has denied him essential medical care, including basic necessities like access to a wheelchair,” Teng said.
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Teng also noted that despite court orders to release Gambaryan’s medical records and demands for humane treatment, Nigerian authorities have not complied.
Furthermore, Gambaryan has been denied access to his U.S. consulate representative this week, according to Teng.
“There is no reason to imprison an innocent employee for allegations against Binance.
We have resolved issues with governments worldwide, including in the U.S., Thailand, and more recently in Brazil and India, in a reasonable and collaborative manner,” Teng added.
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Teng has urged the U.S. government to leverage its influence to secure Gambaryan’s release on humanitarian grounds and to protest against Nigeria’s detention practices.
He has called on the U.S. administration to recognize Gambaryan as one of its “unlawfully detained” citizens abroad.
According to a press release from Gambaryan’s family shared with crypto.news, his legal team has been barred from visiting him in prison from July 26 to August 14, with only a brief five-minute visit allowed on August 15.
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The family claims that the continued denial of access prevents his legal team from preparing him for trial, which they argue violates the Nigerian Constitution.
Gambaryan, who holds American citizenship, was arrested in February along with British-Kenyan Nadeem Anjarwalla by Nigerian law enforcement.
They were detained at an Abuja airport after being summoned by authorities. Following their arrest, all naira and peer-to-peer services on Binance in Nigeria were suspended.
Anjarwalla fled Nigeria in March using a concealed Kenyan passport.
Subsequent reports indicated that Nigerian security forces tracked him down, leading to his arrest in Kenya at the request of the Nigerian Bureau of Interpol.
