US
lawmakers
continue
to
call
for
the
release
of
the
detained
Binance
executive
Tigran
Gambaryan.
The
ongoing
saga
between
the
crypto
exchange
and
the
Nigerian
authorities
intensified
when
several
US
Congress
members
sent
a
letter
urging
the
Biden
administration
to
take
action.
This
week,
two
US
representatives
visited
Gamabaryan
in
prison
during
their
trip
to
Nigeria.
The
politicians
shared
details
about
the
executive’s
alarming
condition
and
urged
for
his
“humanitarian
release.”
US
Lawmakers
Continue
To
Call
For
Action
On
Thursday,
US
representatives
French
Hill
and
Chrissy
Houlahan
called
for
the
immediate
liberation
of
former
federal
agent
Tigran
Gambaryan.
Gambaryan
was
detained,
alongside
his
colleague
Nadeem
Anjarwalla,
by
Nigerian
authorities
on
February
26
and
was
accused
of
tax
evasion
and
money
laundering.
Since
then,
several
politicians
and
industry
leaders
have
requested
the
release
of
the
Binance
executive.
Richard
Teng,
Binance’s
CEO,
released
an
open
letter
vouching
for
Gambaryan.
Teng
stated
that
the
Nigerian
authorities
were
cracking
down
on
a
mid-level
employee
who
didn’t
visit
the
country
as
a
decision-maker
or
a
negotiator.
Moreover,
he
accused
authorities
of
using
an
innocent
employee
as
a
tool
against
the
crypto
exchange.
Several
US
Congress
members
also
voiced
this
sentiment
in
a
letter
to
President
Biden.
On
June
4,
sixteen
House
members
urged the
Biden
administration
to
act
“before
it’s
too
late,”
arguing
that
the
charges
against
the
executive
are
“baseless
and
constitute
a
coercion
tactic
by
the
Nigerian
government
to
extort
his
employer,
Binance.”
The
politicians
painted
a
worrying
picture
of
the
executive’s
health
in
the
letter.
Reports
of
Gambaryan’s
health
condition
appeared
after
he
collapsed
in
a
court
hearing
on
May
22.
The
executive
tested
positive
for
malaria
and
had
allegedly
been
denied
proper
medical
assistance.
Binance
Executive’s
Condition
Remains
Critical
The
Binance
executive
saw
a
small
victory
by
dropping
some
charges
against
him.
As
reported by
Bitcoinist,
Nigerian
authorities
withdrew
the
tax
evasion
charges
after
Binance
appointed
a
local
representative
to
handle
the
legal
dispute
against
the
exchange.
Nonetheless,
Gambaryan
and
Anjarwalla,
who
escaped
from
detention
in
March,
still
face
money
laundering
charges.
As
a
result,
the
detained
executive
remains
in
custody
at
the
Kuje
Prison
in
Nigeria.
On
June
19,
US
representatives
Hill
and
Houlahan
visited
the
former
federal
agent
on
his
cell,
where
they
found
his
condition
had
worsened.
Representative Hill reveals visit to Kuje prison in Nigeria. Source: Rep. French Hill on X
Per
the
post,
the
politicians
visited
the
country
“on
a
national
security
visit
to
talk
about
America’s
support
of
Nigeria
and
other
countries
in
West
Africa
in
the
fight
against
terrorism.”
Hill
noted
that
they
took
the
opportunity
to
advocate
for
the
Binance
executive
and
see
the
“horrible
prison”
where
he
is
wrongfully
detained.
Moreover,
the
representative
detailed
they
found
the
executive
still
suffering
from
malaria
and
double
pneumonia.
Gambaryan
also
told
the
politicians
he
has
lost
significant
weight
and
is
still
being
denied
access
to
adequate
medical
attention
despite
the
court
ruling
that
ordered
he
be
taken
to
a
medical
facility
for
treatment.
Following
their
visit,
Representatives
Hill
and
Houlahan
asked
that
Gambaryan
be
granted
a
humanitarian
release
to
ensure
his
safe
return
to
the
US:
Tigran
must
be
immediately
granted
a
humanitarian
release,
the
remaining
charges
dropped,
and
he
must
return
home
to
America
where
he
belongs.
Binance Coin (BNB) is trading at $583.8 in the three-day chart. Source: BNBUSDT on TradingView
Featured
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from
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Chart
from
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Author: Rubmar Garcia
