Image credit: AP/VOA Africa

Disclaimer: This story was originally published on June 5, 2024.

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Some members of the United States Congress have asked President Joe Biden to secure the release and bring home Binance employee Tigran Gambaryan, who has been detained in Nigeria for three months.

The group of lawmakers, comprising House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Michael McCaul and 11 others, sent a June 4 letter addressed to President Biden, Secretary Antony Blinken, and the Presidential Envoy for Hostage Affairs Roger Carstens, urging them to treat Gambaryan’s case as a hostage situation and that he should be returned to the US.

“Mr. Gambaryan’s health and well-being are in danger, and we fear for his life,” the letter shared by Fox Business reporter Eleanor Terrett on X reads.

“Immediate action is essential to ensure his safety and preserve his life. We must act swiftly before it is too late.”

The politicians insist that Gambaryan is “wrongfully detained” and charged with money laundering and tax evasion charges “as an effigy” of Binance. They believe that the “baseless” accusations are part of a coercion tactic by the Nigerian government to extort Binance.

Gambaryan, Binance’s head of financial crime compliance, traveled to Nigeria in February at the invitation of the Nigerian government to discuss the exchange’s compliance issues in the country. After two meetings, local authorities detained and later tried him “in lieu of pursuing legal action against his employer.”

Gambaryan was denied bail on May 18. Subsequently, he did not show up for a court hearing scheduled for May 22. At the time, the court, prosecutors, and his defense team were all unaware of his location or condition.

According to the letter, Gambaryan has tested positive for malaria, but a court order mandating his transfer to a private hospital for treatment has not been carried out.

Gambaryan is a former federal agent, serving for 10 years in the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) before Binance.