Politics
By Anthony Isibor
YUKI Gambaryan, wife of Tigran Gambaryan, the Binance executive, who has been detained in Nigeria for 200 days, has once again called on both President Bola Tinubu and the US Government to intervenevin the case.
In a statement, she said that her husband, who had travelled to Nigeria for a meeting he was invited to by the Nigerian government, was instead unlawfully detained under increasingly inhumane and degrading conditions.
“He has been repeatedly denied access to his lawyers which is against the Nigerian constitution. Nigerian authorities continue to falsely claim that he is being treated well and is in good health, but the reality is that his condition is rapidly deteriorating.
“Now, the prison is withholding medical treatment, probably to avoid confirming his condition. This situation is both disgraceful and urgent—it must end immediately.
“I beg President Tinubu to do the right thing and order Tigran’s immediate and unconditional release. And I beg the U.S. Government to recognize officially that Tigran is being unlawfully detained and to take immediate actions against the Nigerian government unless they release him,” she said.
“Tigran has missed countless milestones while in detention including his son’s 5th birthday, first day of school, and his 40th birthday which he spent locked up in a Nigerian prison cell. He is also about to miss his wife’s birthday on August 31st as well as their 15th wedding anniversary,” she said.
Those agitating for Tigran’s release alleged that in detention his health has deteriorated so much that he is no longer able to walk from the pain of his untreated herniated disc/spinal injury, noting that as a result of being bedridden his muscles have atrophied and he has to take blood thinners to avoid blood clots even as the Nigerian prison has also refused to provide him with a wheelchair.
They also alleged that since being detained, Tigran has also suffered from Malaria and double pneumonia.
“He now has severe tonsillitis and he has been told he needs surgery to remove his tonsils.”
Other allegations include that From July 26th to August 14th Tigran’s legal team were denied entry to visit him in prison – with no explanation – which is against the Nigerian constitution and the governing laws of the prison in which he is being held.
“When the team was allowed to visit him (after it was made public that they had been denied entry), they were only allowed a 5 minute visit which is insufficient time to prepare for his trial, in contravention of the Nigerian constitution (Chapter 4 section 36, subsection 6b). Since then they have been denied entry again.
“The US Embassy also no longer has access to Tigran as he is not allowed to use a wheelchair and he cannot physically walk to the visitor area.
“Tigran was invited to Nigeria by the Nigerian government for a meeting and was given assurances that he would be safe. However, his passport was taken during the meeting, and he was made to pack his items from the hotel to a “guest house”.
“After they detained him, the Nigerian authorities told the American Embassy that Tigran was staying at the guest house willingly.
“Tigran was held for almost one month in this guest house before two sets of charges were brought against him and Binance and Tigran were moved to the infamous Kuje prison.”
Although Tigran had appeared in a viral video last week where he struggled to move and walked with the aid of a clutches, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, accused Gambaryan of exaggerating his health conditions in order to avoid judgment as he is expected to appear in court in October.
According to reports, the EFCC had also blocked the approval of a fresh bail condition for the detained executive.
According to the Nigerian EFCC prosecutor, Tigran is being charged because “The 1st defendant (Binance) is operating virtually. The only thing we have to hold on to is this defendant.”
Charges related to tax evasion brought by the Nigerian Federal Inland Revenue Service were dropped against Tigran on June 14th.
The FIRS agreed to revise their charges to serve them solely on Binance through a locally appointed representative.
The trial for the second set of charges brought by the Nigerian Economic and Financial Crimes Commission started on May 17th.
Binance has offered to appoint a local representative for these charges as well. Cross-examination of the witnesses brought forward by the EFCC has begun but the court went on recess until October. An application to hear the case over the recess period was granted and a hearing was held on September 2nd. Tigran’s lawyers made a second application for bail owing to his declining health. The judge set the ruling for this application to October 9th.
Although the US authorities are believed to be in contact with Nigeria’s President, finance minister, attorney general, and trade minister to resolve the issue as quickly as possible, a New York Times report has confirmed that the Gambaryan case has become a source of increased deterioration of the US – Nigeria relationship.
Recall that the Nigerian authorities had accused Binance of Money laundering and Tax evasion in its charges also stating that the exchange played a key role in the devaluation of Nigeria’s local currency after it facilitated over $26 billion in illegal cross-border transfers.
In retaliation Binance delisted the Naira from its support but the platform is still very much active in Nigeria as most Nigerians use it as a wallet to house their assets and also trade.
A.I
Sept. 14, 2024
Tags: binance President Bola Ahmed Tinubu Tigran Gambaryan
