Tigran Gambaryan, a Binance executive who has been held in Nigeria since February, filed a new bail request on Monday citing medical reasons, but the country’s economic crimes agency’s attorneys objected.
TakeAway Points:
- Binance executive Tigran Gambaryan, detained in Nigeria since February, made a fresh bail application on medical grounds on Monday but lawyers for the country’s economic crimes agency opposed the request.
- Lawyer Mark Mordi told a High Court in the capital Abuja that he filed a fresh bail application for Gambaryan, Binance’s head of financial crime compliance, “because his health has continued to deteriorate while in prison custody.”
- Lawyers for Nigeria’s Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) immediately opposed the motion, arguing that Gambaryan was not in poor health.
Binance staff seeks bail
In June, Nigeria’s Federal Internal Revenue Service dropped charges against Binance executives Tigran Gambaryan and Nadeem Anjarwalla.
The trial of Tigran Gambaryan, the Binance executive currently detained in Nigeria, recommenced on Sept. 2, 2024. Gambaryan’s attorneys filed a new motion for bail, citing the executive’s deteriorating health.
Lawyers for Nigeria’s Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) immediately opposed the motion, arguing that Gambaryan was not in poor health, despite counsel for the government regulator submitting the detained executive’s health records to the court, which indicate that he requires surgery.
According to family spokespeople, these health records — which prison officials have failed to produce to the court for months — were lacking critical medical documentation such as MRI images performed on Gambaryan.
Spokespeople for the Gambaryan family also claim that Gambaryan’s legal counsellors have been outright denied access to the prison where he is being held and, at other times, unable to meet with their client due to his worsening health condition. In a statement relayed to Cointelegraph, Gambaryan’s wife, Yuki, voiced her concerns with the assertions of Nigerian officials:
“I am also deeply concerned about recent statements from Nigerian authorities denying Tigran’s health issues. The truth is that the prison has withheld his medical records for months, and even the partial records they finally released today say that Tigran needs surgery.”
The next hearing in the trial is set for Sept. 4, 2024, where the judge will continue to consider the motion for bail.
Gambaryan’s deteriorating health condition
Gambaryan’s deteriorating health condition and the lack of proper attention to his well-being on the part of Nigerian prison officials have been well documented.
In July, the court issued an arrest warrant against Dr. Abraham Ehizojie, a medical doctor at the Kuje Correctional Centre, for failure to appear in court and produce a comprehensive medical report on Gambaryan.
The detained Binance executive’s deteriorating health has drawn sharp criticism from industry executives, humanitarian groups, and American lawmakers.
As calls to release Gambaryan continue to escalate, Georgia Congressman Rich McCormick introduced a resolution asking his fellow lawmakers to consider the detainment of Gambaryan — an American citizen — as a hostage situation.
McCormick stated that the Binance executive was “wrongfully” detained by the Nigerian government and urged Congress to use “all resources available” to secure his release.
