US governmental authorities are attempting to gain access to an incarcerated Binance employee in Nigeria, according to a local reports.
In February of this year, Binance executive Tigran Gambaryan was arrested alongside a colleague, Nadeem Anjarwalla, who managed to escape the country.
The pair had traveled to Nigeria to engage in regulatory talks.
Gambaryan has been imprisoned in Nigeria since. In August, it was reported that his physical condition was deteriorating quickly in the African prison.
“Tigran’s physical and mental conditions have deteriorated rapidly, and his situation is now more dire than ever. He is in severe pain and unable to walk due to a herniated disc. Despite his condition, the Nigerian government has denied him adequate medical care, including basic needs such as access to a wheelchair.”
In response to the reports, Binance CEO Richard Teng called Gambaryan’s treatment by Nigerian authorities “inhumane”.
“This inhumane treatment of Tigran must end. He must be allowed to go home for medical treatment and to be with his family.”
Now, according to the Nigerian news outlet Punch, the US embassy is pushing for access to the Binance executive as a US citizen.
According to Punch, the push for access is related to the Binance employee’s health.
Says an anonymous source familiar with the matter,
“I only know that the US is concerned about the man’s health, especially now that his family has gone public in the US with the matter…
I would not say they are lobbying, they are just concerned that they are not being granted access to the man (being a US citizen). Remember that Binance had their issue in the US as well.”
Gambaryan has a herniated disc and has been suffering from bouts of malaria and pneumonia. However, lawyers for Nigeria’s Economic and Financial Crimes Commission say that Gambaryan is not in ill health and was already suffering from a herniated disc before prison.
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