Binance ‘hopeful’ all charges against Tigran Gambaryan will be dropped
Gambaryan continues to be detained in a Nigerian prison on other charges of money laundering
HFA_Illustrations/Shutterstock and Adobe stock modified by Blockworks
The tax charges brought by the Nigerian government against Binance executives Tigran Gambaryan and Nadeem Anjarwalla were dropped Friday, a family spokesperson told Blockworks.
Gambaryan continues to be detained in a Nigerian prison on other charges of money laundering. Anjarwalla escaped Nigerian detention earlier this year.
Binance still faces tax charges from the government and is also a defendant alongside Anjarwalla and Gambaryan in the government’s money laundering case.
“We are relieved that the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) have served and filed amended charges today, resulting in tax charges against Tigran Gambaryan being dropped, further illustrating that Tigran is not a decision-maker at Binance and does not need to be held in order for Binance to resolve issues with the Nigerian government. We await the court’s ruling on this, discharging Tigran from this matter completely,” a Binance spokesperson told Blockworks.
Binance reiterated that it wants to resolve these matters with the government “transparently and cooperatively.”
Read more: Binance executive denied bail in Nigeria
Gambaryan was denied bail last month and is being held at Kuje Correctional Facility. According to the family spokesperson, Gambaryan has been sick with malaria since May 23. He’s now developed pneumonia.
Multiple members of Congress wrote to President Joe Biden to secure Gambaryan’s release earlier this month, while Axios reported that former federal agents asked Secretary of State Anthony Blinken to bring Gambaryan back to the US.
The next hearing for the money laundering charges is set to be held on June 19.
Read more: Binance ‘deeply disappointed’ about the ongoing detention of an executive in Nigeria
“In order for Tigran to be allowed to go home to his family, we are hopeful that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) will take similar steps. Tigran has been detained for 110 days, and his physical health is deteriorating, including a recent malaria and pneumonia diagnosis. Binance is committed to continuing to work with the Nigerian government to resolve this,” a Binance spokesperson told Blockworks.
Yuki Gambaryan, the Binance executive’s wife, said her “biggest concern” is Gambaryan’s deteriorating health.
“I sincerely hope the Nigerian authorities will now see how unnecessary it is to keep Tigran at Kuje. I am praying that they now swiftly drop the EFCC charges against him so that this nightmare can finally come to an end,” she continued.
Gambaryan and Anjarwalla were detained earlier this year after the two met with Nigerian officials. The government has claimed that $26 billion passed through Binance Nigeria and said it was exploring a possible fine levied against the company.
Binance has since ended support for the Nigerian naira. Last month, Interpol Africa’s Garba Umar said that the agency had drafted paperwork for Anjarwalla.
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