The United States has appreciated the Nigerian government for releasing the Binance Holdings Limited executive, Tigran Gambaryan. Mr Gambaryan, an American and senior employee at the cryptocurrency exchange, who had been detained since February, was released on Wednesday. The Binance executive and the exchange British Kenya regional manager for Africa, Nadeem Anjarwalla, had been facing money laundering charges to the tune of $35 million brought against them by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission. But in a statement from the office of the National Security Advisor, the U.S. government confirmed that Mr Gambaryan was released by the Nigerian government on humanitarian grounds.
“I am pleased that American citizen and former U.S. law enforcement official Tigran Gambaryan has been released on humanitarian grounds by the Nigerian government and he is on his way back to the United States so that he can receive needed medical attention. As soon as we secured Mr Gambaryan’s release, I called his wife Yuki to share this good news. I am grateful to my Nigerian colleagues and partners for the productive discussions that have resulted in this step and look forward to working closely with them on the many areas of cooperation and collaboration critical to the bilateral partnership between our two countries,” the statement signed by Jake Sullivan read.
After eight months in detention, Binance Holdings Limited’s executive, Tigran Gambaryan, has left Nigeria to reunite with his family in the U.S. His wife, Yuki Gambaryan, disclosed this in a statement on Thursday, a day after Mr Gambaryan left Kuje prison following the withdrawal of charges against him by the Nigerian government. “Today, American citizen Tigran Gambaryan left Nigeria to return home to his family after eight months of unlawful detention,” said Mrs Gambaryan. “It is a huge relief that this day has finally come. The past eight months have been a living nightmare. I wish it hadn’t taken this long for his release or that his health had not declined so much, but we can now focus on healing as a family,” Mrs Gambaryan added. Mrs Gambaryan thanked the U.S. government and everyone who spoke up for the release of her husband while he was in detention. “I want to express my deepest gratitude to the US government for their efforts in securing his release. I also want to thank everyone who helped us throughout this ordeal. There were moments I feared this day would never come, but Tigran’s supporters gave me hope and strength,” she said. The Binance executive was detained in February when he and his colleague Nadeem Anjarwalla were arrested following an official invitation from National Security Adviser Nuhu Ribadu on allegations that the firm was facilitating currency speculation that undermines the naira. While Mr Anjarwalla managed to escape detention and leave Nigeria in March, Mr Gambaryan remained in custody until he was released on Wednesday.
