Nigerian officials have dropped some of the charges against detained Binance executive Tigran Gambaryan, a family spokesperson announced on June 14.
The Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) dropped tax charges against both Gambaryan and fellow Binance executive Nadeem Anjarwalla. However, the pair still faces money laundering charges from Nigeria’s Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), in a case set to resume on June 20.
Spokespeople for the Gambaryan family denounced the charges as “bogus” and cited the dismissal of the tax charges from FIRS as evidence that the pair should never have been charged in the first place.
Gambaryan’s health was a focal point of the latest update after the Binance executive reportedly collapsed in court on May 23 due to Malaria. Representatives for Gambaryan’s family claimed his health has further deteriorated since the incident, and he is now suffering from pneumonia. The statement also alleged that prison authorities refuse to provide transparency on the detained executive’s well-being.
“Despite a court order by Justice Emeka Nwite to take Tigran to [the] hospital immediately, it took the prison authorities 11 days to take him for a brief check-up. The prison is not allowing the results of this check-up at the hospital to be released to his family, lawyers nor the U.S. embassy as they have named a person from the prison as his next of kin.”
Related: Binance official’s wife demands medical care for detained husband
Binance also issued a separate statement, commending FIRS for "their diligence and professionalism." Spokespeople for the exchange reiterated that the decision to drop charges reinforces that "Tigran is not a decision-maker at Binance and does not need to be held in order for Binance to resolve issues with the Nigerian government." The statement concluded, "We await the court's ruling on this, discharging Tigran from this matter completely."
Nigeria charges Binance executives
Gambaryan and Anjarwalla were arrested by Nigerian authorities in February on money laundering and tax evasion charges in conjunction with Binance despite the company agreeing to leave the African country.
In March, Anjarwalla escaped Nigerian custody, reportedly using his Kenyan passport to flee to the country. Later, Anjarwalla was tracked and arrested in Kenya, where he faces extradition to Nigeria.
An outpouring of support
Lawmakers in the United States recently penned a letter to the State Department and presidential envoy for hostage affairs Roger D. Carstens drawing attention to the imprisonment of Gambaryan, a former Internal Revenue Service (IRS) agent, stating that he has been “wrongfully detained.”
Following that letter, former federal prosecutors echoed calls from American lawmakers to secure Gambaryan’s release in a letter signed by 108 ex-prosecutors to the State Department on June 6.
Update ( June 14, 2024. 16:37 UTC): This article has been updated to include a statement from a Binance spokesperson.
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