Treated like a caged animal in Nigeria, family suffered: Binance’s Tigran  

A few months ago, a hazy video emerged from a courtroom in Nigeria, that shocked the world. Binance executive and US citizen Tigran Gambaryan, who was jailed in Nigeria for over eight months, was being dragged to court by a security official, as he limped his way, using a crutch for support. Quite frustrated over the inhumane ordeal, Tigran yells out in the video, “This is so fuc**d up.”

Now, months later, after Tigran managed to secure bail on health grounds and flew his way to home in the United States from a Nigerian jail, he has finally started opening up about his experience in the prison for eight months. Tigran was serving as Binance executive in Africa when he was first invited to Nigeria for a meeting with government officials and later arrested on money laundering and tax evasion charges.

Tigran has accused the Nigerian government and officers of DSS (security services of Nigeria) of trying to extort $150 million from Binance by making him a scapegoat. Meanwhile, Nigeria has dropped money laundering charges against Tigran but have maintained that Binance has conducted unreported crypto transactions worth $26 billion from Nigeria.

In a heart-wrenching statement on X (formerly Twitter), Gambaryan recounted his painful ordeal during his 214-day detention in Nigeria. Gambaryan, a U.S. citizen and former Head of Financial Crime Compliance at Binance, expressed deep emotional distress about the suffering his imprisonment caused his family.

Gambaryan revealed how his wrongful detention, based on dubious charges of financial irregularities related to Binance’s operations, severely impacted his family’s well-being. He shared how videos of his mother and wife in tears, along with his own struggles in custody, added to the pain. In a candid post, he urged to put this nightmare behind him and emphasized how difficult it was to endure seeing his loved ones suffer.

On September 2, 2024, a viral video showed Gambaryan limping toward a court hearing, visibly in pain, yelling at Nigerian officials. “This is so fu***d up!” he screamed, expressing frustration at the harsh treatment and lack of assistance. Despite his deteriorating health, including a need for urgent surgery for a herniated disc, Gambaryan’s bail was contested, and his medical records were delayed.

His case suffered from political and legal complications due to the Nigerian Economic and Financial Crimes Commission which downplayed the seriousness of his medical state. The extended court proceedings create ongoing distress which affects Gambaryan as well as all members of his family who face psychological harm because of his unfair judicial process.

Also Read: The indefinite jail of Binance Executive in Nigeria is not due process

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