Good day everyone,
I hope you are all having a good day, welcome to CryptoGod-1's blog on all things crypto. In this post I will be looking at the recent comments by former IRS Chief where he noted Tigran Gambaryan is being held hostage by Nigeria.
Tigran Gambaryan Is A Hostage
Former Internal Revenue Service (IRS) Chief of Investigations Richard Weber has shared his feelings on the situation of Binanace executive Tigran Gambaryan, who is being held in a Nigerian prison for alleged crimes while working for Binance. These feelings were expressed during a 3rd of October episode of Illicit Edge's 'Designated' podcast. During the episode Weber described Gambaryan's situation in Kuje prison in Nigeria as far from ideal as he is being held behind bars alongside “the worst of the worst” terrorists. Weber noted:
“It’s a prison that holds really bad people, including terrorists, and here we have a former law enforcement official and dedicated public servant who is working at a crypto company as a mid-level employee who is trying to resolve a compliance issue – who then gets arrested and thrown into the same facility.”
The former top U.S. law enforcement official went on to urge the United States government to intervene on the situation, wanting them to ensure Gambaryan is released so he can return to his wife Yuki and their two young children in California. Gambaryan was detained in late February 2024 after he travelled to Nigeria, along with another Binance executive, before they were detained. They had reportedly assured of safe passage in and out of the country beforehand but that did not transpire.
Instead the pair were arrested and imprisoned on tax evasion and money laundering charges, although his colleague Nadeem Anjarwalla did manage to escape. The legitimacy of his arrest has been called into question, along with the deteoriating condition of Gambaryan's health. He has reportedly suffered from both malaria and double pneumonia, while footage from a court hearing in early September showed Gambaryan struggling to walk. This was apparently exacerbated by complications from a herniated disc.
Weber stated:
“Tigran is a hostage. He did nothing wrong. He is sitting in a prison for a crime he did not commit. He’s been in prison for over 200 days – almost eight months – and no one knows what he really did wrong. I don’t even think the Nigerian government knows what he did wrong, and yet they are holding him there.”
In the previous episode of 'Designated' there was a plea from Yuki Gambaryan, who advocated for her husband's release. She stated:
“What Tigran is going through every day is a complete disregard for justice and humanity and it should not be tolerated. …It is getting harder and harder to stay hopeful.”
You can find the Podcast videos below.
United States lawmaker French Hill (R-AR) has also given his opinion on the matter, referring to Gambaryan as a “pawn in a Nigerian political fight.” Congressman Rich McCormick has also been one of Gambaryan's most prominent advocates. He has criticised the situation, and noted in an interview with 'Decrypt' that he believes the detention is unlawful—and that the U.S. government hasn’t acted faster due to crypto-related "laziness" or apathy, combined with the Biden administration’s “soft” approach to international policy.
Have a great day.
Peace. CryptoGod-1.
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