Binance, the global cryptocurrency exchange embroiled in Nigeria’s crypto crackdown, has called for the release of its detained executive, Tigran Gambaryan, asserting that he has no decision-making power within the company. This plea comes a week after Binance was charged with tax evasion by Nigerian authorities.
Gambaryan, a former U.S. agent and head of Binance’s Financial Crime Compliance (FCC) team, was detained alongside Nadeem Anjarwalla, Binance’s Kenya-based regional manager for Africa. The two executives had traveled to Nigeria to address restricted access to Binance’s website. While Gambaryan remains in detention, Anjarwalla reportedly fled the country using a smuggled passport, according to Nigeria’s national security adviser (NSA).
Both detained executives have since filed a human rights violation suit in Nigeria’s Federal High Court, seeking their release, the return of their passports, and a public apology from the NSA and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
Binance defended Gambaryan, emphasizing his limited role in corporate decision-making and his past contributions to Nigeria’s law enforcement efforts. Since joining Binance in 2021, Gambaryan has led initiatives to address financial crime and collaborated with Nigerian authorities to combat fraud and money laundering, facilitating recoveries amounting to $400,000. His team has also conducted training sessions for local law enforcement on the role of crypto exchanges in the digital asset ecosystem.
Now in his fifth week of detention, Gambaryan is caught in a broader crackdown on Binance by Nigerian authorities. The government has filed tax evasion charges against the exchange and has issued an international arrest warrant for Anjarwalla, who fled custody.
Binance continues to stress that Gambaryan’s detention is unjust and calls for Nigerian authorities to release him while discussions between the company and the government proceed.
