BIDEN THANKS NIGERIAN PRESIDENT FOR RELEASING BINANCE EXECUTIVES
President Joe Biden has expressed gratitude to Nigerian President Bola Tinubu for releasing Tigran Gambaryan, Binance's head of financial crime compliance, who was detained in Nigeria for eight months. Gambaryan, a former IRS special agent, was arrested in February alongside his colleague Nadeem Anjarwalla after arriving in Abuja to discuss Binance's activities and alleged "suspicious flows" at the exchange .
Gambaryan's health had been deteriorating during his imprisonment, with reports of pneumonia, malaria, and spinal issues. His repeated requests for bail were denied, with authorities citing flight risk concerns .
The charges against Gambaryan, including tax evasion and money laundering, were eventually dropped in June and October, respectively. Following his release on October 23, Gambaryan returned to the US for medical treatment .
Biden's appreciation for Gambaryan's release was conveyed during a call with President Tinubu, highlighting the international attention and diplomatic efforts surrounding the case .