Former Internal Revenue Service (IRS) Chief of Investigations Richard Weber has reacted to the continued detention of Tigran Gambaryan in Nigeria following a trade spat between Nigeria and Binance Limited.
Mr. Weber raised concerns about the living conditions of Tigran in Nigeria’s Kuje prison while commenting on the caliber of criminals and terrorists who are also housed in the same prison.
Mr. Weber gave his reactions as a guest on a podcast show titled “ Illicit Edge’s “Designated,” where he lamented that Tigran Gambaryan’s detention was anything but ideal.
“It’s a prison that hold really bad people, including terrorists, and here we have a former law enforcement official and dedicated public servant who is working at a crypto company as a mid-level employee…who is trying to resolve a compliance issue — who then gets arrested and thrown into the same facility, Weber said
“Tigran is a hostage. He did nothing wrong. He is sitting in prison for a crime he did not commit,” Weber continued. “He’s been in prison for over 200 days — almost eight months — and no one knows what he really did wrong. I don’t even think the Nigerian government knows what he did wrong, and yet they are holding him there.” Weber added.
Mr Weber a former top United States law enforcement official urged the United States which Tigran Gambaryan is a citizen to release Gambaryan to his wife Yuki and his two young children in California.
Tigran Gambaryan was detained in February following an invitation by Nigerian authorities to the country. His colleague Nardeem Anjarwalla who is British Kenyan managed to escape with a second passport.
Nigeria’s case against Binance borders on Tax evasion and money laundering and one of Binance’s executives Tigran Gambaryan has been detained in the country for 7 months now.
Back and Forth on Health challenges
Tigran Gambaryan while in detention claims to have witnessed his health detoriating and has suffered pneumonia twice and malaria. The Binance exec is also suffering from long-term complications from herniated discs.
This was evident in a video that circulated in his last court appearance where the detained man could barely walk.
The Nigerian authorities however feel Tigran’s health challenges are exaggerated and not as bad as he makes them to be.
The back and forth between both parties have continued for a while despite growing concerns by US authorities and family over Tigran’s health.
What to Know
- Nigerian authorities earlier this year accused Binance of currency manipulation leading to the free fall of the Naira. Binance responded by delisting Naira Peer to Peer on its platform.
- Binance is also facing regulatory challenges in various jurisdictions like Brazil, India, and the US.