US lawmakers visit Binance exec Tigran Gambaryan in Nigerian prison, call for release
Quick Take
- Reps. French Hill, R-Ark., and Rep. Chrissy Houlahan, D-Pa., said they visited Gambaryan this week, a U.S. citizen who was detained in February amid accusations of Binance making illegal-transaction profits locally.
- Houlahan said Gambaryan faced “difficult conditions,” in prison.
U.S. lawmakers called for detained Binance executive Tigran Gambaryan to be immediately released and said he is suffering from malaria and pneumonia after visiting him in a prison in Nigeria.
Reps. French Hill, R-Ark., and Chrissy Houlahan, D-Pa., said they visited Gambaryan this week. Gambaryan is a U.S. citizen who was detained in February amid accusations that Binance was making illegal transaction profits locally.
"Yesterday, @RepHoulahan and I visited with US citizen Tigran Gambaryan in Kuje Prison in Nigeria," Hill posted on X on Thursday. "We found him suffering from the conditions there, as he has malaria and double pneumonia, and he reports that he has lost significant weight. Even worse, he's being denied access to adequate medical attention."
Gambaryan spent 10 years as an Internal Revenue Service Special Agent and has focused on combatting money laundering and tax evasion, Hill said.
"Tigran must be immediately granted a humanitarian release, the remaining charges dropped, and he must return home to America where he belongs," Hill said.
Houlahan said Gambaryan faced "difficult conditions" in prison.
"He was also under clearly a lot of stress, and his health is not very good," Houlahan said in a video posted by Hill.
Other lawmakers have also called for Gambaryan's release. Earlier this month, Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee Michael McCaul, R-Texas, and 15 others signed a letter to President Joe Biden calling for immediate action to bring back Gambaryan.
“Mr. Gambaryan’s health and well-being are in danger, and we fear for his life. Immediate action is essential to ensure his safety and preserve his life. We must act swiftly before it is too late,” they wrote.
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