Joe Biden Thanks Nigerian President for Releasing Binance Executive Tigran Gambaryan From Prison

US President Joe Biden has expressed his appreciation to Nigerian President Bola Tinubu for securing the release of Binance’s compliance officer Tigran Gambaryan from prison.

Gambaryan, a former agent of the US Internal Revenue Service (IRS), was visiting Nigeria to address regulatory concerns about Binance when local authorities arrested and jailed him on charges of money laundering and operating an unlicensed financial institution.

Amid reports of Gambaryan’s deteriorating health and the Nigerian government’s refusal to give him adequate medical treatment, 18 US state attorneys general wrote a joint letter telling Biden that Nigeria’s blatant misuse of power should be met with the full weight of the US government’s influence given the financial and political support that America extends to the West African nation’s current regime.

Last week, Judge Emeka Nwite ordered that Gambaryan be released from Kuje prison where the executive was incarcerated following his arraignment in April.

R.U. Adaba, a lawyer who represents the prosecuting agency, said that Nigeria is dropping the charges due to diplomatic interventions and in consideration of the extent of Gambaryan’s involvement as an employee of Binance.

The White House says that during a recent call, Biden thanked Tinubu for the development in Gambaryan’s case.

“President Biden offered his condolences on the recent flooding that has impacted northeastern Nigeria and underscored his appreciation for President Tinubu’s leadership in securing the release on humanitarian grounds of American citizen and former U.S. law enforcement official Tigran Gambaryan last week.”

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