Binance’s Tigran Gambaryan remains detained in a Nigerian prison

“Every day is nothing but frustration for our family. Six months is a long time for an innocent man to be imprisoned and the fear of losing him is ever-present,” said a worried Gambaryan. Assets from her family home in Georgia.

The family's ordeal began when Tigran, a cybersecurity expert and executive at crypto firm Binance, traveled to Nigeria in February to serve as the company's emissary. The company is currently negotiating settlements with governments around the world to resolve investigations into poor compliance practices – most recently reaching settlements with the United States, Brazil and India.

The tone of talks in Nigeria quickly changed, however, when authorities arrested Gambaryan and another executive on money laundering and tax evasion charges. The arrests coincided with a sharp devaluation of the Nigerian currency, which the government blamed on Binance but which economists attribute to mismanagement of the country's economy. In March, the BBC reported that Nigerian authorities were demanding a $10 billion payment from Binance.

Since then, Gambaryan has become seriously ill in prison after suffering severe bouts of malaria. He is now immobile and unable to leave his cell, his wife says, and Nigerian authorities have not provided him with a wheelchair. She and Binance say he has also been denied regular access to legal counsel. Yuki Gambaryan says the overall situation amounts to a human rights violation.

Factually a hostage, but not legally

Gambaryan's fate has also generated concern and sympathy in the cybersecurity world, where he is widely respected for his help in tracking down drug lords, terrorists and child pornographers. Gambaryan's exploits made him one of the main protagonists in Tracer bullets in the darka recently published book about the “Dark Web”. New York Times The review rhetorically asked, “Who wouldn’t cheer for Tigran Gambaryan, the hard-working accountant who turns into a tough IRS agent covered in Greek Orthodox tattoos?”

Meanwhile, executives at Binance's arch-rival Coinbase are expressing their support. “Tigran's contributions to improving the security of our industry have been invaluable and we hope for a timely and equitable resolution of this situation,” said Philip Martin, an Army veteran who is Coinbase's chief security officer. Assets.

But while the moral case for Gambaryan's release appears compelling, the U.S. State Department – which was instrumental in the recent release of Gershkovich and other hostages – has not yet officially classified him as wrongfully detained.

The “wrongfully detained” designation is not only a symbolic gesture, but also a practical one, as recipients of that designation become priorities of a special State Department agency known as the Office of the Special Presidential Envoy for Hostage Affairs. Granting Gambaryan that status would effectively recognize him as a political hostage, which would require the special agency to provide expertise and regular updates under a 2023 law, the Levinson Act. Several members of Congress have already called for it.

In response to a request from Assets On the question of whether Gambaryan will receive the special designation, a US State Department spokesman issued a carefully worded statement.

“The Department reviews the circumstances surrounding the detention of all U.S. citizens abroad for indications that their detention is unlawful. In making this assessment, the Department looks at the totality of the circumstances for each individual case. We will continue to monitor Tigran Gambaryan's case closely,” the spokesperson said by email.

Yuki Gambaryan

A person familiar with the situation who asked not to be identified said the State Department may be reluctant to label Gambaryan a hostage because Nigeria is a U.S. ally, unlike Russia, North Korea and other countries where Americans are wrongfully held. The Nigerian government did not respond to a request for comment.

“We continue our efforts to resolve this situation,” a Binance spokesperson said. “The Nigerian government does not need to detain an innocent employee to engage us.”

As the geopolitical aspects of the case drag on, Yuki Gambaryan says she is grateful to the State Department for talking to her, but she is worried and frustrated. She is doing what she can, including setting up a website called “Bring Tigran Home,” but she worries that he has again been denied legal representation before his next hearing on Sept. 2.

The most difficult thing, she says, is her children, who are five and ten years old. Although she speaks to her husband on the phone fairly regularly, these calls are at times when the children are sleeping or at school. They ask her if they will see their father again.

“I don't know how to console her,” says Gambaryan. “I'm begging the Nigerian authorities to let him go home.”