US lawmakers push for hostage designation in Binance exec’s detention in Nigeria

Two U.S. congressmen have submitted a resolution to the House Committee on Foreign Affairs, urging the government to declare the detention of a Binance executive in Nigeria as a hostage situation.

Reps. Rich McCormick and French Hill said in a statement on Thursday that they introduced the resolution to demand that the Nigerian government immediately release Binance executive Tigran Gambaryan, a U.S. citizen.

The resolution — officially introduced on Wednesday by McCormick and co-sponsored by Hill — said that Gambaryan’s health “has been declining during his detention in Kuje Prison,” urging the U.S. government to declare Gambaryan as a “U.S. citizen wrongfully detained by a foreign government.” 

The congressmen also noted in the resolution that if Tigran’s court case is not resolved by mid-July, he may remain in detention for an even longer undue period of time, as the court typically takes a recess from mid-July to September.

Gambaryan, a former agent for the U.S. Internal Revenue Service and Binance’s head of financial crime compliance, and another Binance executive Nadeem Anjarwalla were detained following their arrival in Nigeria in February. The Nigerian authorities filed criminal charges against Binance and the two executives for alleged money laundering and tax violations. Anjarwalla later escaped from custody in March.

Last month, Nigeria’s tax authorities dropped the tax charges but the company and the executives still face money laundering charges in the country. 

In the resolution, the congressmen further noted that Gambaryan had worked for the IRS for over a decade and seized more than $4 billion in illicit funds on behalf of the U.S. government. 

‘Deteriorating’ health conditions

Hill, who visited Gambaryan in the Nigerian prison last month with another lawmaker, said in the Thursday statement that the Binance executive’s health is “deteriorating.”

“I am proud to join my friend and Mr. Gambaryan’s Congressman, Rep. Rich McCormick, in leading this resolution and sending a signal to the Nigerian government that he must be immediately granted a release, the remaining charges dropped, and return home to America where he belongs,” Hill said.

McCormick said that the detention of Gambaryan is a “clear violation of his rights and a grave injustice.”

The latest filing follows a letter signed in June by 16 members of Congress, urging the White House to treat the jailing of Gambaryan seriously. “Immediate action is essential to ensure his safety and preserve his life. We must act swiftly before it is too late,” the letter said.