Two US Congress members, Chrissy Houlahan and French Hill, recently paid a visit to Tigran Gambaryan- the Binance executive- currently in judicial custody in Nigeria, in the high profile money laundering case.
During their visit on Wednesday, Houlahan and Hill claimed they were shocked to discover Gambaryan’s deteriorating health condition in Kuje prison in Nigeria. Gambaryan, a U.S. citizen and a former IRS officer, has been in judicial custody in Nigeria for the past three months, facing trial in a money laundering case of Binance. According to lawmakers Houlahan and Hill, Gambaryan has contracted malaria and double pneumonia, raising serious concerns about the prison’s medical care standards.
“We’ve asked our embassy to advocate for a humanitarian release of Tigran because of the horrible conditions in the prison, his innocence, and his health” Rep. Hill stated.
This prison visit comes on the heels of a joint letter signed by 100 former federal prosecutors urging President Biden and Secretary of State Antony Blinken to intervene in Gambaryan’s case.
Owing to immense political pressure from US lawmakers, Nigerian authorities recently dropped tax evasion charges against Gambaryan. However, he remains incarcerated due to ongoing money laundering allegations, for which bail has been denied.
However, Binance has maintained that Gambaryan was not a key decision-maker in the company and has continued to negotiate with Nigerian officials to resolve the legal issues surrounding his case.
Also Read: Binance vs Nigeria: A trial in a pickle that could turn relations sour
