Biden

Joe Biden

United States President Joe Biden spoke to President Bola Tinubu of Nigeria, offering his appreciation that Binance’s head of financial crime compliance had been released on humanitarian grounds.
According to an Oct. 29 notice from the White House, President Biden <a data-ct-non-breakable="null" href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2024/10/29/readout-of-president-joe-bidens-call-with-president-bola-tinubu-of-nigeria/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="null" text="null" title="null">had</a> a call with President Tinubu in which he thanked the Nigerian leader for helping secure “the release on humanitarian grounds of American citizen and former US law enforcement official Tigran Gambaryan.”
The Binance executive had been in Nigeria custody for roughly eight months until being <a data-ct-non-breakable="null" href="https://cointelegraph.com/news/binance-tigran-gambaryan-nigeria-authorities-drop-charges" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="null" text="null" title="null">allowed to leave the country</a> on Oct. 23.
<figure><img alt="Law, Nigeria, United States, Crimes, Binance" src="https://s3.cointelegraph.com/uploads/2024-10/0192d9e0-eb06-7e01-8638-ff8d8a58fe53" title="">
 <figcaption style="text-align: center;">
 Yuki Gambaryan calling for her husband’s release on Aug. 26. Source: <a data-ct-non-breakable="null" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-rCDKYri0Hg" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank" text="null" title="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-rCDKYri0Hg">YouTube</a>
 </figcaption>
</figure>
<h2 id="held-for-eight-months-repeatedly-denied-bail">Held for eight months, repeatedly denied bail</h2>
Nigerian authorities detained Gambaryan and his colleague Nadeem Anjarwalla on Feb. 26 after they flew into the capital city of Abuja to discuss Binance’s activities and reports of “suspicious flows” at the exchange.
Reports suggested Anjarwalla <a data-ct-non-breakable="null" href="https://cointelegraph.com/news/binance-executive-escapes-detention-nigeria" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="null" text="null" title="null">escaped custody in March</a> and fled to Kenya, while Gambaryan remained to face tax evasion and money laundering charges.
While being held at Kuje Prison, a family spokesperson reported Gambaryan suffered from a variety of medical problems, including pneumonia, malaria, and issues with his spine. Authorities repeatedly <a data-ct-non-breakable="null" href="https://cointelegraph.com/news/binance-bail-nigeria-money-laundering-trial" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank" text="null" title="https://cointelegraph.com/news/binance-bail-nigeria-money-laundering-trial">pushed hearings and denied bail</a> for the Binance executive, claiming he posed a flight risk.
Related: <a data-ct-non-breakable="null" href="https://cointelegraph.com/news/nigeria-frees-binance-exec-ripple-appeals-sec-xrp-ruling-law-decoded" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="null" text="null" title="null">Nigeria frees Binance exec, Ripple appeals SEC XRP ruling: Law Decoded</a>
A former IRS special agent, Gambaryan’s case drew attention from international news outlets and government officials as many suggested the allegations were directed at Binance rather than its representatives. In September, a video surfaced online showing Gambaryan <a data-ct-non-breakable="null" href="https://cointelegraph.com/news/binance-exec-mistreatment-nigeria-video" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="null" text="null" title="null">struggling to walk</a> to court, prompting outrage from many people, including Binance CEO Richard Teng.
“This inhumane treatment of Tigran must end,” <a data-ct-non-breakable="null" href="https://x.com/_RichardTeng/status/1830869029705441553" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank" text="null" title="https://x.com/_RichardTeng/status/1830869029705441553">said</a> Teng in a Sept. 3 X post. “He must be allowed to go home for medical treatment and to be with his family.”
Nigerian authorities dropped the tax evasion charges against Anjarwalla and Gambaryan in June, and <a data-ct-non-breakable="null" href="https://cointelegraph.com/news/nigeria-drops-money-laundering-charges-binance-exec" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="null" text="null" title="null">money laundering charges were dropped</a> in October. A spokesperson for the Binance executive’s family reported he had left the country within 24 hours of the final charges being dropped to seek medical treatment in the US.
Magazine: <a data-ct-non-breakable="null" href="https://cointelegraph.com/magazine/anti-aging-multi-millionaire-bryan-johnson-almost-devoted-life-crypto/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="null" text="null" title="null">Anti-aging tycoon Bryan Johnson almost devoted his life to crypto</a>

President Biden thanks Nigerian President for Binance exec’s release

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