U.S. lawmakers have escalated calls for Binance’s Tigran Gambryan’s release with a formal resolution.

The lawmakers believe that Gambaryan’s detention should be treated as a hostage situation.

The resolution comes as Gambaryan’s detention looks set to face a months-long extension amid lingering health concerns.

Binance Chief Financial Crime Compliance Officer Tigran Gambaryan, a U.S. citizen and former IRS special agent, entered Nigeria at the invitation of authorities to resolve issues between regulators and his employer. Things, however, failed to go as planned, as the seemingly diplomatic visit has now turned into a months-long detention.

Amid clamours from the Binance executive’s wife, Yuki Gambaryan, and several industry advocacy groups, Gambaryan’s situation has gotten the attention of U.S. lawmakers who have now followed up a June 2024 letter to the Biden administration with a formal resolution.

Lawmakers Call for Action

Two U.S. lawmakers have escalated calls for Binance’s Tigran Gambryan’s release with a formal resolution. Representative French Hill disclosed the submission of the resolution co-authored with Representative Rich McCormick in a statement on July 11. Sponsored

In the resolution, the lawmakers contend that Gambaryan’s case is one of wrongful detention, which should be treated in accordance with the Robert Levinson Hostage Recovery and Hostage-Taking Accountability Act. 

The Binance executive has been slapped with tax evasion and money laundering charges in relation to Binance’s actions in Nigeria. While the tax evasion charges have been dropped, the money laundering case continues to linger. According to Representatives Hill and McCormick, however, these charges are “fabricated” to extort Binance.

As such, they called on the government to officially declare Gambaryan, who has been detained since February 2024, a hostage. They further called on the government to use every available resource to secure his release, including bringing up his detention in every interaction with Nigeria. Sponsored

Beyond immediate calls directed towards Gambaryan’s release, the concerned lawmakers called on the Nigerian government to allow Gambaryan full consular access in keeping with international obligations. They further asked that the Binance executive be afforded full access to quality healthcare as his health has significantly declined during his stay in Nigerian prison, diagnosed recently with Malaria and double pneumonia.

The recent House Resolution comes as the Binance executive’s detention looks likely to be extended for at least another two months.

A Long Break

The Nigerian Federal High Court typically declares a long break for judges between July and September each year, with this year’s break expected to kick off from July 23, 2024, to September 13, 2024. As the concerned lawmakers highlighted, this break will likely unduly extend Gambaryan’s detention if his case is not resolved soon.

The next trial date for Gambaryan in the lingering money laundering case is Tuesday, July 16. The hearing is supposed to see the submission of the Binance executive’s medical records, which have been withheld for weeks despite multiple court orders. 

In between coughing fits and a noticeable limp, Gambaryan has shown visible signs of continued illness in court hearings observed by DailyCoin in the past week. In a July 5 hearing, lawyers noted that the Binance executive was now complaining of some pressure in his back, which required an MRI scan that Nigerian Correctional Service officials had yet to approve.

On the Flipside 

Nigerian authorities maintain that Gambaryan is being held on legal grounds and is well-treated.

Binance is now the sole defendant in the tax evasion case.

Why This Matters

At the time of writing, Gambaryan has been detained in Nigeria for 137 days, far away from his family and friends. At the same time, deplorable prison conditions continue to take a toll on his health.

Read this to catch up on the Tigran Gambaryan saga:Tigran Gambaryan Is Still Detained After 100+ Days: What’s Going On?

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