Binance Executive Tigran Gambaryan Denied Bail in Nigeria

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Binance executive Tigran Gambaryan was denied bail by a Nigerian judge, a family spokesperson said Friday.
“We are deeply disappointed by the court’s decision to deny Tigran bail, particularly given his deteriorating health. He has been unlawfully detained for over 220 days,” a Binance spokesperson said in statement adding that the company is committed to working with the Nigerian government.
Gambaryan, the crypto exchange’s head of financial crime compliance, has been detained in Nigeria since February. He has been in the notorious Kuje prison alongside the likes of terrorist group Boko Haram since fellow Binance employee Nadeem Anjarwalla escaped custody in March.
Alongside Binance, Gambaryan was charged with tax evasion and money laundering, though the tax charges were later dropped.
The court deferred making a decision on bail in September. Gambaryan’s attorneys filed a new bail application, citing his deteriorating medical condition. One lawyer, Mark Mordi, told the court last month that the executive has needed surgery since July 18 and requires urgent assistance that cannot currently be provided in prison, Bloomberg reported.
During his time in prison Gambaryan has developed malaria, pneumonia and tonsillitis and suffers from complications tied to a herniated disc in his back, which left him in need of a wheelchair – though in a video from his last court appearance, Gambaryan did not have a wheelchair, and instead had to struggle on a single crutch.
“It is completely unjust to deny someone in Tigran’s condition the opportunity to seek appropriate medical help and I just pray that when he is finally released that the damage he is suffering is not permanent,” Tigran’s wife Yuki Gamabryan said. “I am exhausted and deeply disappointed, but I will continue fighting for my husband’s rightful freedom.”
Read more: ‘Is Daddy on the Airplane?’ Jailed Binance Exec Gambaryan Family’s Ordeal in New Podcast
Update (14:05 UTC): Adds Binance comment to second paragraph.
Edited by Nikhilesh De.

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