Bipartisan Group of State Attorneys General Urges Biden to Secure Release of Binance Compliance Officer from Nigerian Prison
A bipartisan group of 18 US state attorneys general is calling on President Joe Biden and Secretary of State Anthony Blinken to intervene in the case of Tigran Gambaryan, a compliance officer for Binance who is currently detained in a Nigerian prison.
Gambaryan, a former agent of the US Internal Revenue Service (IRS), was arrested in February during a visit to Nigeria to address regulatory concerns related to Binance’s operations in the country.
He is facing charges of money laundering and operating an unlicensed financial institution, and reports have indicated that his physical and mental health have rapidly deteriorated while in custody, with allegations of inadequate medical care and treatment by the Nigerian government.
The attorneys general have sent a joint letter to the President and Secretary of State, requesting that Gambaryan be designated as a hostage under the Robert Levinson Hostage Recovery and Hostage-Taking Accountability Act. They argue that his detention under potentially life-threatening conditions constitutes unlawful incarceration by the Nigerian government.
The letter states, “This designation will unlock critical resources and apply additional diplomatic pressure to ensure his immediate release. The Levinson Act was designed specifically for cases like this, where US citizens are unlawfully detained for political or financial leverage.”
The attorneys general emphasize the importance of using all available tools to defend Gambaryan, highlighting his role in law enforcement operations that led to the takedown of criminal enterprises like child pornography ring Welcome to Video and dark web marketplaces AlphaBay and Silk Road.
They condemn the Nigerian government’s actions as extortion and call for the full support of the US government, given America’s financial and political ties to the current regime in Nigeria.
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Let’s continue to monitor this developing story and advocate for justice in the case of Tigran Gambaryan.
Image Source: Midjourney