- Binance CEO Richard Teng has pleaded with the U.S. to intervene in Gambaryan’s case.
- Gambaryan has been detained in Nigeria for six months now.
- The CEO labeled the Nigerian government’s allegations against Gambaryan as “baseless.”
Binance CEO Richard Teng has called on the U.S. government and global advocates to “exert political pressure” to secure Tigran Gambaryan’s release in Nigeria.
Despite reports that Gambaryan’s mental and physical health has been deteriorating while in prison, the Nigerian government has continued to detain the compliance chief for six months now. Today marks the second time Teng has pleaded for his release after making a similar call on May 7.
Teng Calls Out Nigeria’s “Baseless Allegations” Against Gambaryan
In a statement issued on August 27, Richard Teng said Nigeria continues to detain Gambaryan on the pretext that “Binance is operating virtually. The only thing we have to hold on to is this defendant.”
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Terming it far from the truth, Teng stated that Nigeria had no reason to imprison an innocent employee to answer for allegations against Binance.
“We have settled issues in countries around the world, including the US, Thailand, and most recently in Brazil and India, in a reasonable, collaborative, and amicable manner with governments. All these were done without threat or harm inflicted on our employees.” Teng said.
The CEO also refuted the Nigerian government’s claim that Binance was responsible for its currency decline, implying that various macroeconomic factors could have influenced the Naira’s fall, including the government’s end of the currency’s peg in June 2023.
Reiterating Gambaryan’s health challenges, Teng pointed out that the compliance chief was recently denied access to his U.S. consulate representative. He called the Nigerian government’s actions “inexplicable” and asked for help securing Gambaryan’s release.
The Call to Action
Richard Teng urged the U.S. government and political apparatus to intervene and bring Gambaryan home so he could get adequate medical attention and reunite with his family.
“The US administration and legislators have the power to designate Tigran as one of its “unlawfully detained” citizens overseas, and there are substantial reasons for them to do so,” Teng said.
The CEO also appealed to key decision-makers in the Nigerian government on humanitarian grounds to allow the compliance chief safe passage home to his family. Teng said Binance would work with the government to support the development of Nigeria’s Web3 industry once these issues are resolved.
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