US prosecutors in several states have asked US President Joe Biden to intervene in the detention by Nigerian authorities of Binance CEO Tigran Gembrayan. This development comes months after a similar approach was taken by some US lawmakers who cited concerns about the deteriorating health of the former IRS officer.
US lawyers urge Biden to declare Tigran’s detention a hostage situation
In a Last message In a letter to Biden and Secretary of State Antony Blinken, 18 US attorneys general expressed serious concerns about Gambarian, who has been detained in Nigeria for more than seven months. The US citizen and Binance employee, along with his colleague Nadeem Angarwala, were arrested by Nigerian authorities in February after a visit to the West African country over regulatory issues related to the cryptocurrency exchange.
Angarwala eventually fled Nigeria in March, while Gambrayan was forced to remain in Nigeria to stand trial for money laundering and tax evasion among other charges, in the representation of Binance. However, prosecutors in Utah, Connecticut and Kansas, among other states, have described Gambrayan’s detention as illegal and merely serving as leverage for Nigerian authorities in the ongoing dispute with the Binance exchange.
Lawyers also highlighted Gambrayan’s deteriorating health, as he was denied treatment for malaria, pneumonia and a herniated disc, which resulted in mobility impairment. They explained that the conditions in which the Binance CEO is detained could lead to death as seen in the previous case of American student Otto Warmbier in North Korea.
Given these factors, the Attorney General asked Biden to designate Gambrian as a hostage under the Robert Levinson Hostage Accountability and Accountability Act, which would enable the use of government resources and increased diplomatic pressure to achieve the Binance employee’s prompt release. .
Binance CEO deserves our best – US AGs
In pushing for the hostage appointment, the US Attorney also stated that Gambarian served the US government in multiple positions before joining Binance as chief financial crimes compliance officer. These roles They include being a special agent with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and also a federal agent who helps take down dark web sites like AlphaBay and Silk Road. They urged Biden to defend the life of an American citizen and an excellent law officer with all available means.
Other attorneys general who co-signed this petition are from states including New Hampshire, Maine, Arkansas, Louisiana, Minnesota, Mississippi, New York, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Carolina, Tennessee, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Vermont, and Virginia.
Featured image from Forbes, chart from Tradingview