Binance executive Tigran Gambaryan, who fainted in court earlier this week, has been hospitalized in Abuja, Nigeria, bringing his money laundering case to a close. Reuters.
The head of financial crime compliance at the largest cryptocurrency exchange was denied bail earlier this month after being jailed in the region in late February. The executive, who has been imprisoned in Nigeria’s Kuje Prison for more than a month, is said to have appeared emaciated during his trial earlier this week.
Gambarian’s lawyers said in a letter to presiding judge Emeka Nwite that he was “very ill and in need of comprehensive medical treatment.” The letter went on to say that he was “debilitated” and had since received “intravenous malaria treatment.” The report is Reuters.
Last April, Gambrian pleaded not guilty to money laundering charges after being indicted along with Nadeem Anjarwalla, the UK-Kenya Africa regional manager.
Anjarwala escaped detention in March and was able to fly to Kenya, but there are signs he could be extradited.
Binance CEO Richard Teng called for the release of the two employees in a blog post earlier this month and refuted the Nigerian government’s allegations. In two separate lawsuits, the Nigerian government alleged that Binance evaded taxes and allowed the exchange to be used for money laundering.
Teng also said that Gambaryan, an “innocent mid-level employee,” was imprisoned in a “dangerous prison for controlling Binance.”
Gambarian sued the Nigerian government for violating his basic human rights.
Two Binance executives were invited to travel to Nigeria to meet with government officials to discuss the allegations before the lawsuit was filed. However, once they got there, they were detained in a civil servant guesthouse for over a month without any charges.
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