Richard Teng, the CEO of cryptocurrency trading firm Binance, has voiced serious concerns over the welfare of Tigran Gambaryan, a senior executive at the company, who is currently detained in Nigeria on charges of money laundering and tax evasion.
Teng stressed the urgent need for intervention to address humanitarian issues and to secure Gambaryan’s immediate release.
Teng remarked, “We are now at the six-month mark of Tigran’s unjust detention. His physical and mental health have deteriorated rapidly, with his condition more dire than ever. He is suffering from severe pain and is unable to walk due to a herniated disc.”
He further highlighted that, despite Gambaryan’s condition, the Nigerian government has denied him adequate medical care, including basic necessities such as access to a wheelchair.
“Moreover, they have refused to grant him access to his legal counsel, even though a trial is set to begin on 2 September—a situation that we understand to be unconstitutional in Nigeria,” Teng continued. “A court has ordered the government to release Tigran’s medical records, but several months have passed without compliance. This week, Tigran was also denied access to his representative from the U.S. consulate. These actions are inexplicable.”
Teng expressed deep concern about the long-term, potentially irreversible impact this ordeal is having on Gambaryan, both physically and mentally. He appealed to the Nigerian government to release Gambaryan on humanitarian grounds so that he can return to the U.S. for the necessary medical treatment and recovery.
Describing the charges against Gambaryan as unfounded, Teng argued that such allegations should not be used to justify his continued detention. “One reason the Nigerian government has cited for holding Tigran is because ‘[Binance] is operating virtually. The only thing we have to hold on to is this defendant.'”
Teng refuted this claim, stating, “This assertion is far from the truth. There is no need to imprison an innocent employee to address any allegations against Binance. We have resolved issues in other countries—including the U.S., Thailand, Brazil, and India—in a reasonable, collaborative, and amicable manner with their governments. None of these situations involved threats or harm to any of our employees. There is no valid reason to detain an innocent employee to further discussions on outstanding issues.”