The June 4 letter, primarily signed by members of Congress, including Rep. Michael McCaul, Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, was addressed to the President, Secretary Antony Blinken, and Presidential Envoy for Hostage Affairs, Roger D. Carstens.
In the letter, 12 U.S. lawmakers expressed concern over Gambaryan being “wrongfully detained” by the Nigerian government.
“We fear for his life. Immediate action is crucial to ensure his safety and preserve his life. We must act quickly before it is too late,” the lawmakers wrote.
Gambaryan, Binance’s head of financial crime compliance, was in Nigeria to address the company’s compliance issues. However, he has been detained for more than three months on charges of money laundering and tax evasion.
Currently held in Nigeria’s notorious Kuje Prison, a facility designed to detain ISIS combatants, the lawmakers are urging the Special Presidential Envoy for Hostage Affairs to take charge of Gambaryan’s case.
The lawmakers believe that the charges against the Binance executive are “baseless” and view them as an attempt to extort Binance.
Gambaryan was detained after two meetings with Nigerian authorities, which allegedly turned hostile after beginning professionally.
The letter also highlighted that Gambaryan tested positive for malaria during his detention, and a court order for proper medical care was ignored.
On May 17, Gambaryan was denied bail and did not appear in court during the subsequent session four days later. The court stated it was unaware of Gambaryan’s location or medical condition.
He did appear the following day, but his health had visibly deteriorated, according to the lawmakers, who noted that he “collapsed to the floor” when the judge asked him to “step forward.”
Additionally, Gambaryan has been denied private meetings with his legal counsel, as armed guards or other Nigerian authorities are always present, the letter mentioned.
Despite Binance’s efforts over the past months to secure Gambaryan’s release from Nigeria, the attempts have been unsuccessful. On Monday, Binance’s Chief Compliance Officer stated in an interview that the company has little hope of bringing their head of financial crime back in the near future.
He expressed that this outcome would likely only be possible with U.S. government intervention.
“I trust the U.S. government to do the right thing in this situation.”
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