Nigerian court grant freedom to detained Binance exec on health grounds: report

Nigerian authorities have dropped charges against Binance’s financial crimes compliance officer, Tigran Gambaryan, citing his ill health as the reason for halting the case.

Tigran Gambaryan, a former US federal agent and Binance executive, had charges against him dropped by the Nigerian government after he was detained since February over allegations of money laundering and currency manipulation.

The charges were dropped due to his poor health, Bloomberg reported, citing sources familiar with the court’s decision. Crypto.news has reached out to Gambaryan’s family for comment and will provide updates if we hear back.

Earlier this month, a Nigerian court rejected Gambaryan’s request for bail; His lawyer argued this was necessary for him to receive medical treatment for a herniated disc and other health problems, including malaria and pneumonia. His lawyer, Mark Mordi, expressed concern about Gambaryan’s deteriorating condition, emphasizing that he needed surgery, which was not possible in the prison system.

Binance’s Gambaryan released after six months in detention

The legal problems of Gambaryan and his colleague, British-Kenyan Nadeem Anjarwalla, began when they were detained by Nigerian authorities during their visit to the country. Anjarwalla managed to escape and fled to Kenya in March; Gambaryan was held at the Kuje correctional center in Abuja. US lawmakers criticized his detention, calling it “illegal”.

Binance publicly defended Gambaryan’s release, claiming that his visit was not a decision-maker for the company. The exchange also claimed that Nigerian officials demanded a “secret” payment to resolve their problems; Nigeria has flatly denied this claim.