US Congress pressures government to secure release of Binance executive

…urges Government to declare Binance executive hostage

The United States Congress is pressuring the US government to utilize all resources available to press for and secure the immediate release of Tigran Gambaryan, the Binance executive facing money laundering charges in Nigeria to the tune of $35 million.

The congress urged the United States Government to formally declare Tigran Gambaryan as a “U.S. citizen wrongfully detained by a foreign government”, pursuant to section 302(a) of the Robert Levinson Hostage Recovery and Hostage-Taking Accountability Act.

Read also: Binance executive lawfully detained, not denied medical care FG

This was part of the resolutions of the Congress submitted to the House Committee on Foreign Affairs June 10. The resolutions are sponsored by CongressmenRich McCormick and French Hill.

The Congressmen had visited the detained Binance executive in the Kuje Correctional Facility June 20 and deplored his conditions

Part of the resolution urges the Government of Nigeria to immediately release Gambaryan from imprisonment, and provide full, unfettered, and consistent consular access, in accordance with its international obligations, to Gambaryan while he remains in detention.

The Congress also wants the Government of Nigeria to provide unrestricted medical access to Gambaryan and ensure he is swiftly provided all medical care, including prescriptions and antimalarials, as needed.

In the resolutions, they insisted that the Binance executive is wrongfully detained, and expressed concern that Gambaryan’s health has been declining during his detention in Kuje Prison.

They are concerned that Tigran’s detention has been ongoing since February of 2024, and the Federal High Court where be is being tried will typically take a recess from mid-July to September. They note that if Tigran’s case is not resolved by mid-July, he may remain in detention for an even longer undue period of time.

“Whereas repeated requests for doctor visits have been slow to be fulfilled, and when a doctor did visit, Tigran was referred to a specialist rather than be treated by that doctor,” part of the resolutions read.

Read also: US reps visit ‘ailing’ Binance executive in Kuje, demand release

“Whereas, on May 22, 2024, Tigran was absent from a court hearing and neither the court, the prosecutors, nor his defense team were aware of his whereabouts or conditions; Whereas the court received no response from the prison and was forced to postpone his hearing.

“Whereas, on May 23, 2024, Tigran appeared in court for a hearing and was slumped over in his chair and when called to step forward, Tigran could not stand on his own and collapsed to the floor; Whereas Tigran tested positive for malaria and has been unable to receive proper treatment as his requests for hospital treatment were delayed despite a May 23, 2024, order by the judge that he be released from Kuje Prison and admitted to a hospital for proper medical care.

“Whereas, as of June 14, 2024, Tigran remains the subject of charges filed against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission despite concerns for his health and requests to release him on humanitarian grounds.”