US legislator urges Congress to declare Binance exec ‘hostage’ of Nigerian government

Two legislators in the United States have called on Congress to declare Binance executive Tigran Gambaryan a hostage of the Nigerian government if he’s not released soon.

Rep. Rich McCormick (R-GA) recently submitted a resolution to Congress on behalf of himself and fellow Republican legislator James French Hill (R-AR), petitioning for swift government action in the Gambaryan case.

The resolution called on the Nigerian government to immediately release the former Internal Revenue Service (IRS) agent detained in March alongside his colleague, Nadeem Anjarwalla. The two were charged with money laundering and tax evasion on behalf of Binance, but the tax charges have since been dropped. Nadeem escaped detention and has been at large since.

Now, McCormick and Hill want the U.S. government to “formally declare Tigran Gambaryan as a ‘U.S. citizen wrongfully detained by a foreign government.’”

They noted that in Nigeria, the courts take a recess from mid-July to September. If Gambaryan is not released by the end of this week, he’d be stuck in an Abuja prison for a few more months at least.

Shortly after the resolution was tabled to the House Committee on Foreign Affairs, the Nigerian court handling Gambaryan’s case announced that it had pushed his trial to October 11.

As they await his release, the U.S. lawmakers demanded that the Nigerian government provide Gambaryan with proper medical care. According to his wife Yuki, Gambaryan contracted malaria and pneumonia while in detention, and they have gone untreated. While appearing for his trial in late May, he collapsed in court and had to be rushed to a hospital.

Hill, who co-sponsored the resolution, visited Gambaryan in Abuja a month ago. He claimed that the Binance executive appeared weak and had lost significant weight.

“Tigran must be immediately granted a humanitarian release, the remaining charges dropped, and he must return home to America where he belongs,” he stated at the time.

Meanwhile, the Nigerian government has been adamant that Gambaryan must face money laundering charges. The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has maintained that he has been treated humanely and that all its actions have been within the law.