US lawmakers continue to call for the release of imprisoned Binance executive Tigran Gambaryan. The ongoing saga between the crypto exchange and the Nigerian authorities intensified when several members of the US Congress sent a letter urging the Biden administration to take action.
This week, two American representatives visited Gamabaryan in prison during their visit to Nigeria. Politicians shared details about the officer’s shocking condition and called for his “humane release”.
American lawmakers continue to call for action
On Thursday, US representatives French Hill and Chrissy Houlahan called for the immediate release of former government official Tigran Gambaryan. Gambaryan was arrested, along with his associate Nadeem Anjarwalla, by Nigerian authorities on February 26 and accused of tax evasion and money laundering.
Since then, several politicians and industry leaders have called for the Binance executive’s release. Richard Teng, CEO of Binance, released an open letter confirming Gambaryan. Teng said the Nigerian authorities are suppressing the middle-class worker who does not visit the country as a decision maker or negotiator.
In addition, he accused the authorities of using an innocent employee as a tool against the crypto exchange. Several members of the US Congress also expressed this opinion in a letter to President Biden.
On June 4, sixteen members of the House urged the Biden administration to act “before it’s too late,” saying the charges against the executive branch are “baseless and a ploy to force the Nigerian government to defraud its employer, Binance.”
Politicians paint a worrying picture of executive life in the book. Reports of Gambaryan’s condition emerged after he collapsed in court on May 22. The official was diagnosed with malaria and allegedly denied proper medical attention.
Binance Executive Status Remains Critical
Binance’s CEO saw a small victory by dropping some of the charges against him. As reported by Bitcoinist, Nigerian authorities have dropped tax evasion charges after Binance appointed a local representative to handle the legal dispute against the exchange.
However, Gambaryan and Anjarwalla, who escaped custody in March, are still facing money laundering charges. Because of this, the arrested officer is still being held at Kuje Prison in Nigeria.
On June 19, US representatives Hill and Houlahan visited the former government official in his cell, where he found his condition to be very serious.
Representative Hill reveals visit to Kuje prison in Nigeria. Source: Rep. French Hill on X
According to the post, the diplomats visited the country “on a national security mission to talk about America’s support for Nigeria and other West African countries in the fight against terrorism.”
Hill noted that they took the opportunity to represent the Binance CEO and see the “ugly prison” where he was unjustly imprisoned. In addition, the representative elaborated that they found the officer still suffering from malaria and double pneumonia.
Gambaryan also told politicians that he has lost a lot of weight and is still being denied access to adequate health care despite a court order ordering him to be taken to a medical center for treatment.
After their visit, Representatives Hill and Houlahan requested that Gambaryan be granted parole to ensure his safe return to the US:
Tigran must be released immediately, 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 image from Unsplash.com, Chart from TradingView.com
Source link
