Wife of Jailed Binance Executive Begs to Release Gambaryan

The wife of American Binance executive Tigran Gambaryan, who is being held in Nigeria, shared a video pleading for Gambaryan’s immediate release.

Yuki Gambaryan said in the video: “It has been six months since I last saw my wife, our children last held their father’s hand six months ago. His health has deteriorated to the point where he can no longer walk. Malaria attacks and incredible mental fatigue are approaching the point of no return.”

Gambaryan, a former Internal Revenue Service (IRS) agent and current head of financial compliance at Binance, was detained in Abuja in February shortly after traveling to the Nigerian capital at the government’s invitation. At first, Gambaryan and another Binance executive, British-Kenyan national Nadeem Anjarwalla, were held under house arrest without explanation. After Anjarwalla escaped in March, Gambaryan was transferred to Kuje prison, where he has spent the past five months.

Gambaryan was charged with tax evasion and money laundering after being transferred to the notoriously dangerous Kuje. Although the tax evasion charges against Gambaryan were dropped, he remains on trial for money laundering in a case that began in June. However, the case was suspended in July due to the judiciary going on recess.

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Gambaryan’s health deteriorated rapidly in the harsh conditions of Kuje Prison, which also houses members of the terrorist organization Boko Haram. He collapsed in court in May due to malaria and appeared in a wheelchair in June. Gambaryan’s family reported that he was also denied access to his lawyers and that prison authorities refused to share medical records or provide adequate healthcare despite court orders.

Now his wife says Gambaryan needs urgent medical treatment or there is a “risk of permanent damage”.

Gambaryan’s situation has caught the attention of some members of Congress, including Rep. French Hill (R-Ark.) and Rep. Chrissy Houlahan (D-Penn.), who visited Gambaryan in prison in June and called for his immediate release. The group of lawmakers wrote a letter to President Joe Biden, Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Presidential Envoy for Hostage Affairs Roger D. Carstens, urging them to treat Gambaryan’s case as a hostage situation and calling for his return to the United States.

The US government has yet to comment on Gambaryan’s status. The State Department said it was looking into reports that the executive was detained in March, but Gambaryan was not mentioned. A White House spokesperson referred CoinDesk to the State Department after multiple requests for comment.

Yuki Gambaryan ended his video by saying, “With this nightmare, I have spent six months begging. I begged the Nigerian government. I begged the US government. I begged the media. I beg anyone who will listen. I beg for mercy, understanding and humanity.”

“Please help me bring my wife home.”