Binance Executive Jailed in Nigeria is Suspected of Having Malaria, Family Says

Tigran
Gambaryan,
Binance’s
compliance
head,
who
remains
jailed
in
Nigeria,
is
suspected
of
having
Malaria,
a
family
spokesperson
told
CoinDesk.

Gambaryan
collapsed
in
a
Nigerian
court
on
May
24.
He,
along
with
the
exchange,
is
facing
charges
of
both
tax
evasion
and
money
laundering.

“Despite
a
court
order
from
Justice
Emeka
Nwite
issued
on
Thursday,
May
23,
Tigran
Gabaryan
has
still
not
been
moved
to
hospital
from
Kuje
prison,”
a
family
spokesperson
for
Gambaryan
said.
“It
has
not
yet
officially
been
ascertained
what
he
is
suffering
from
given
that
the
medical
facilities
at
Kuje
are
inadequate.
It
is
suspected
that
he
has
a
severe
throat
infection
and
Malaria.”

A
U.S.
citizen,
Gambaryan
has
been
in
detention
in
Nigeria
for
more
than
two
months.
He
was
invited
by
the
nation’s
authorities
to
resolve
a
dispute
that
government
has
with
Binance.
Instead,
after
a
meeting
with
government
officials,
he
and
another
Binance
executive,
Nadeem
Anjarwalla,
were
taken
by
law
enforcement
officials.
Anjarwalla
later
escaped
but
is
included
in
the
money
laundering
charges.

Gambaryan’s
wife,
Yuki
Gambaryan
told
CoinDesk
in
a
statement
that
she
is
devastated
and
shocked
that
despite
a
court
order
the
authorities
have
not
acted.

“Tigran
does
not
deserve
such
inhumane
treatment,”
she
said.
“He
has
done
nothing
wrong
and
is
suffering
simply
because
he
accepted
an
invitation
to
a
meeting
in
Abuja.
This
has
gone
too
far.
I
am
begging
everyone
who
can
help,
including
our
own
American
government,
to
recognize
that
an
innocent
man’s
life
is
at
risk.
Please,
at
least
let
him
go
to
the
hospital
so
he
can
recover.
But
more
importantly,
let
him
come
home
to
us.”

The
hearings
for
the
tax
violation
and
money
laundering
charges
are
scheduled
for
June
14
and
June
20,
respectively,
a
local
news
report
said.

Read
More:



Binance
Money
Laundering
Trial
in
Nigeria
Pushed
to
June
20
Due
to
Executive’s
Illness